US EditionData stored in Canada can be subject to foreign courts, government paper warns
The federal Treasury Board report says only fully Canadian-operated providers guarantee full data control amid foreign legal challenges.
- On Nov. 3, 2025, the Treasury Board released a white paper saying Ottawa cannot maintain full legal control over data held by suppliers subject to foreign laws and warns full control requires providers under Canadian jurisdiction.
- Legal frameworks such as the U.S. Cloud Act mean service providers must follow laws where they operate, and storing data in Canada does not guarantee foreign courts lack jurisdiction, the paper says.
- Ottawa has spent almost $1.3 billion on cloud services from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google since 2021, highlighting dependence on U.S. providers, the paper says.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has directed the Major Projects Office to build a sovereign cloud, while the Treasury Board says Ottawa uses legal, policy and technical measures to retain some data control.
- The report says full digital sovereignty is impossible due to global interconnections and talent shortages, while private firms and telecoms offer sovereign options, the report says.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Data Stored in Canada Can Be Subject to Foreign Courts, Government Paper Warns
A new government white paper on digital sovereignty says Ottawa can’t maintain full control over its data if its data storage supplier is subject to the laws of another country. It warns the federal government can only maintain full legal control if it delivers the service itself, or uses service providers that operate completely under Canadian jurisdiction. The paper, prepared for the Treasury Board, notes providers must follow the laws of each…
A new white paper warns that Ottawa cannot maintain full control over its data if it is hosted in other countries.
OTTAWA—A new Government White Paper on Digital Sovereignty warns that Ottawa cannot maintain full control over its data if its data storage provider is subject to the laws of another country. The document states that the federal government can only maintain full legal control if it provides the service itself or if it uses service providers that operate entirely under Canadian jurisdiction. The document emphasizes that providers must comply with…
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