Lawful access bill not ‘optional’ but will see privacy amendments: minister – National
Lawful access bill not ‘optional’ but will see privacy amendments: minister – National
https://globalnews.ca/news/11870383/lawful-access-bill-not-optional-privacy-amendments-minister/
Publish Date: 2026-05-27 15:37:00
Source Domain: globalnews.ca
The federal government’s proposed lawful access legislation will be amended to “clarify” protections for encrypted data and types of metadata that may be retained and accessed by law enforcement, Canada’s public safety minister said Wednesday.
Gary Anandasangaree defended Bill C-22 as necessary for investigators as the legislation faces growing privacy concerns and pushback from major internet service providers and tech companies, including Apple and Google, who have called for amendments to clarify and reign in what they called “boundless” powers.
Those companies have said the bill as written could see the government force them to break end-to-end encryption to allow law enforcement access to customer data, something they have promised to never do as it would violate their privacy policies.
“To be very clear, the encryption issue is one we will clarify, because this bill was never meant to breach encryption,” Anandasangaree told reporters outside the House of Commons.
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He said amendments will also “clarify what metadata is” that could be retained for up to a year in future regulations under the legislation.
Yet he defended the year-long timeline as “reasonable” and in line with allies like Australia, despite widespread concerns from privacy experts who note some allies like the U.S. do not have similar retention laws.
“As this goes through the Parliamentary process, we look forward to working in a collaborative manner to ensure that we listen and respond to some of the concerns that have been expressed,” he said.
“So whether that’s on encryption, whether it’s on ensuring that our laws are in line with our Five Eyes partners — including the U.S. — we will respond in kind and ensure that the bill is strengthened.”
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Growing backlash against Canada’s proposed…
