Midnight Madness: The Government Rushes Lawful Access Bill Through the House Without Debate or a Recorded Vote

LETTERS: Canada’s Bill C-22 cause for great concern

The government’s new surveillance bill, Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, is a cause for great concern. I believe, like many organizations that have spoken against it, that it is one of the greatest threats to our privacy of the last two decades. Bill C-22 threatens our Charter rights by: Granting police easier access to our personal information. Forcing companies to create backdoors to allow police and spy agencies to scoop up our personal data…

Midnight Madness: The Government Rushes Lawful Access Bill Through the House Without Debate or a Recorded Vote

Bill C-22, the lawful access bill, passed the House of Commons yesterday with the government invoking a single motion to approve several bills without further debate or individual votes as MPs raced for home for the summer. Bill C-22 will now head to the Senate, where it can expect a rougher ride when study begins in the fall. Rather than use the final days of the House session to answer the privacy, security, and oversight concerns raised by the Privacy Commissioner, academics, technology companies, and civil society groups, the government spent the time ensuring it would not have to, rushing the bill through committee, cutting off debate, and maligning critics with tactics that they once decried when in opposition.

Bill C-22 Amendments Fall Short on Encryption and Cybersecurity Risks:

Half Measures Fail to Fix Sweeping Surveillance Powers Last night at 10:25 p.m., the Canadian government abruptly voted to shut down debate on Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act. The motion forced the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to meet until after midnight to complete its clause-by-clause review without any meaningful debate or discussion. The amendments make limited changes to Bill C-22, including half measures to p…