Where Parties Stand on Bill C-22, the ‘Lawful Access’ Bill Granting Police New Powers

Where Parties Stand on Bill C-22, the ‘Lawful Access’ Bill Granting Police New Powers

Members of Parliament have begun debating Ottawa’s proposed “lawful access” Bill C-22, with clashes over privacy, oversight, and potential government overreach. The bill was first introduced by the Liberals on March 12 and was moved to second reading in the House of Commons on April 13. It would grant law enforcement and CSIS new powers to compel telecommunications providers to disclose customer information without a warrant, targeting metadata …

The Lawful Access Debate Begins: Canadians Should Pay Attention to What the Government Isn’t Saying

When the government introduced Bill C-2 last year, it buried the lawful access provisions at the end of an omnibus border security bill and said as little about it as possible. The strategy failed, the provisions were abandoned after widespread criticism, and the government spent months consulting stakeholders before trying again. Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, is the follow-up attempt. If the first day of House debate on the bill is any indic