Public Safety / Bill C-2

Public Safety / Bill C-2

Public safety depends on fairness and compassion. True security comes from addressing poverty, mental health, and substance abuse—not harsher penalties.

Bill C-2 threatens Canadians’ rights. It allows police and CSIS to access online activities without a warrant, based only on “reasonable suspicion,” violating longstanding privacy protections. Surveillance under this law could target activists, workers, and community advocates.

The bill also creates new data-sharing agreements with foreign governments, including the U.S., putting Canadians’ personal data at risk—especially given the U.S. government’s hostile record toward migrants and human rights.

Refugees and migrants are particularly endangered. Bill C-2 restricts claims, enables mass deportations, and gives the Immigration Minister sweeping powers to cancel permits outside established procedures, breaching Canada’s international human rights commitments.

Canada must uphold its core values rather than yield to external pressure. I will work to stop Bill C-2 and defend the rights and dignity of all Canadians.

HANSARD: Call to bring back the Port Police for border security

HANSARD: How can government defend Bill C-2's violations of Canadian privacy?

Global Editorial: Another sneak attack on your privacy rights

Like another government before them, the Liberals are trying to satiate law enforcement’s perennial desire for warrantless access to personal information in the digital age by linking it to a perceived emergency.

The Conservatives under Stephen Harper did it in 2013, when Vic Toews, the public safety minister, famously said of a Liberal opposition critic that, “He can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.”

Mr. Toews was talking about the 2012 Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, which would have given police unprecedented powers to monitor Canadians’ internet activities without a warrant.

The bill did not in fact mention children or internet predators anywhere except in its title, and the Conservatives abandoned it in 2013 under a withering public outcry.

The Carney Liberals are now throwing around the words “fentanyl,” “sex offenders” and “money laundering” in Bill C-2, and suggesting Canada’s borders are porous, for the same purpose.

Michael Geist: “Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers

The government’s inclusion of warrantless information demand powers in Bill C-2 may make this the most dangerous lawful access proposal yet, exceeding even the 2010 bill led by Conservative Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. The initial concern regarding the bill’s warrantless disclosure demand unsurprisingly focused on whether the proposal was consistent with Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence upholding the reasonable expectation of privacy in basic subscriber information (there is a strong argument it is not). The application of this new power was generally framed as a matter for telecom and Internet companies, given that companies such as Bell, Rogers, and Telus are typically the focal point for law enforcement seeking information on subscriber activity. However, it has become increasingly apparent that this is an overly restrictive reading of the provision. The Bill C-2 information demand power doesn’t just target telecom providers. It targets everyone who provides services with the prospect of near limitless targets for warrantless disclosure demands.

Canadian Press: CSIS says India still poses a foreign interference threat as Canada renews diplomacy

B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan is calling on the government to suspend all security sharing and intelligence agreements with India and publicly call on the Modi government to “fully co-operate” with investigations into extrajudicial killings in Canada, including Nijjar’s murder.

Kwan sent Anandasangaree a letter saying it is “beyond disappointing” that Carney invited Modi to the G7 as security issues with India persist.

“Continuing to engage the Modi government without full transparency and accountability undermines Canada’s credibility in defending human rights and the rule of law — both at home and abroad,” Kwan wrote.

Global News: India, Iran using crime groups to target opponents in Canada, CSIS report says

On Tuesday, B.C. Premier David Eby called on Carney to add the Bishnoi gang to the government’s list of designated terrorist organizations.

The federal NDP’s public safety critic, Jenny Kwan, also wrote to Carney on Wednesday to urge his government to list Bishnoi as a terrorist group, among other things.

The letter added that Modi’s right-hand man Amit Shah “has been credibly accused of approving illegal activities on Canadian soil, yet Canada appears to be proceeding with diplomatic normalcy.”

“This is no longer simply a matter of foreign policy—it is about justice, accountability, and the safety of Canadians.”

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said listing terrorist groups was “an independent process” done through national security agencies.

CBC: Canada 'must remain vigilant' about Indian foreign interference, CSIS report cautions

MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP public safety critic, also wrote to Carney on Wednesday calling for the government to list the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist group. She urged Carney to suspend any security and intelligence-sharing agreements with India.

Globe & Mail: Border bill powers would allow warrantless police requests to doctors, abortion clinics, hotels

The bill would give CSIS and the police, or a “public officer,” the power to demand the basic information without a warrant if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a crime could be committed, or that any breach of a law passed by Parliament may take place. A draft form for making the information demand says to help with the investigation of an offence, the information must be provided “as soon as possible.”

The bill would gag the provider from saying they had received such a demand.

“With these powers, any official tasked with enforcing a federal law could go to the company you rented a car from or the hotel you stayed at and paint a detailed picture of your activities simply by confirming the various companies you interacted with,” said Tamir Israel, director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s privacy, surveillance and technologies program.

“Even health providers could face secret demands and would need to hire a lawyer and challenge these in court within five days of receiving them if they wished to avoid revealing that you are their client.”

Net News Ledger: Critics Warn Bill C-2 Could Open Door to Warrantless Surveillance of Canadians

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety and immigration critic, called the bill a step toward a surveillance state. “This could allow police to approach any doctor or service provider to find out what other services someone is using—without a warrant,” she said. “Even landlords could be compelled to disclose private information.”

Kwan also criticized the government’s lack of transparency, noting that no Charter analysis has been published for Bill C-2—despite being standard practice since the last election. “Canadians who voted for Mark Carney never signed up for this,” she added.

Guardian Opinion: Canadians said no to Trump – so why is Mark Carney pushing a Maga-inspired border bill?

The Carney Liberal government introduced Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, as their first piece of legislation in the House of Commons after the federal election. This Bill is supposed to appease Trump with his delusional claims on fentanyl trafficking against Canada. Instead of elbows up, speaking truth to power, he is bending a knee to Trump.

Worst still, this legislation intends to align Canada with the US's refugee policies - it is an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee bill that goes against Canadian values and historically progressive policies. Due process and administrative fairness are tossed out the window. Oversight and accountability - non-existent.

This Act will result in a mass deportation by administrative means, rather than law enforcement. It prevents persecuted individuals from applying for asylum in Canada. It will result in the same outcome, putting thousands of people into precarious and vulnerable situations. It also upends privacy laws and creates a backdoor to accessing the private data of individuals. This legislation is a direct attack on civil liberties. The NDP will work with civil society, refugee and immigration organizations to actively oppose this draconian legislation. This is an excellent summary from the Guardian on Bill C-2: