Canadians Are Running Out of Time to Oppose the Dangerous C-22 Surveillance Bill

Bill C-22, titled the Lawful Access Act, drastically expands Canadian government surveillance powers and is moving from the House of Commons to the Senate. It empowers authorities to compel telecoms, messaging apps, and other digital services to assist investigations and lets the Minister of Public Safety order companies to build access mechanisms or "backdoors" so long as they do not cause a "systemic insecurity." The bill also mandates retention of users’ metadata for up to a year - capturing who people communicate with, where they go, and what services they use even without suspicion of wrongdoing - and enables broader cross-border data sharing with foreign law enforcement, including a U.S. agreement that would bypass Canadian court oversight.

Analysis from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Citizen Lab finds the bill poses serious constitutional and cybersecurity risks and recommends withdrawing Part 2, which establishes the surveillance and data-retention regime, rather than making cosmetic fixes. Several senators have voiced privacy and legal compatibility concerns. Civil liberties groups are urging immediate public opposition and petition signatures to pressure the Senate to block the legislation before it becomes law.