Bill C-22 Clears Committee

At a late-night marathon hearing on June 17, 2026, the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security passed the very controversial Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. The evening’s proceedings went ahead without debate thanks to a last-minute House motion that precluded any further discussion about the 100-plus page bill or the almost 100 proposed amendments.

The Privacy and Access Council of Canada is among the many organizations, groups, and individual experts who are deeply alarmed about the contentious Bill which undermines privacy, implicates encryption and, according to many lawyers, academics, and Members of Parliament, violates the Charter.

Bill C-22 raises significant privacy and security concerns, including that it will:

• Grant police easier access to our personal information;
• Allow the government to force companies to create backdoors so police and spy agencies can scoop up our personal data and communications, making online protections like encryption meaningless;
• Allow the government to order companies to retain personal information for up to a year, creating a treasure trove of data that would serve as a digital map of everyone in Canada, and could be misused, leaked, or targeted by hackers; and
• Risk more of our information being shared with foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including to investigate conduct that is legal in Canada.

MPs have received several thousands of emails from Canadians opposing the bill because it undermines encryption-protected communications, creates system vulnerabilities, and disproportionately wields “security” over client confidentiality, civil liberties, and privacy protections. Companies including Google, Apple and Meta — have sounded the alarm, especially regarding mandated backdoors into their system that would break encryption. Several others that Canadians rely on, such as Signal, DuckDuckGo and NordVPN, have threatened to leave Canada if Bill C-22 becomes law.

Equally troubling is the deliberate short-circuiting of the democratic legislative process of a complex bill that threatens Canadians’ rights, imposes unjust burdens on organizations, and undermines the legitimate and necessary work of data protection professionals. 

The House rises for summer break on June 19. The Senate, which must pass Bill C-22 before it becomes law, sits through June 23.