Winnipeg police get behind Ottawa’s ‘lawful access’ bill

Winnipeg Police Service Deputy Chief Cam Mackid said Wednesday the force fully supports the federal government’s proposed lawful access bill.

The legislation would give law enforcement and the national spy agency broader access to digital data following judicial authorization.

Part of the bill would require social media, internet service providers and telecommunication companies to adapt systems to allow for officials to more easily access data, after a warrant is obtained, and order certain providers to retain metadata for up to a year.

The bill has received significant pushback from advocates and technology companies who say it will erode privacy and civil rights and enable excessive surveillance.

Some American lawmakers have raised concern over what the legislation would mean for American technology companies that operate in Canada.

Mackid said law enforcement agencies need the bill to pass to be able to investigate crime in the digital age.

“The intent of this legislation is to ensure that police investigators in Canada can access critical, digital evidence in a timely fashion, through a clear and lawful process,” said Mackid.

“The passing of Bill C-22 is likely the most critical issue Canadian law enforcement is facing at the moment and it deserves the continued attention and efforts of all parliamentarians.”

The bill is being studied by a parliamentary committee.

NordVPN, a virtual private network service, said last week it could pull out of Canada over the proposed legislation.

The company said it’s reviewing the bill and would consider leaving Canada if it is required to compromise its privacy protections.

It said if the legislation is passed “and if we are subjected to mandatory obligations, there isn’t a scenario in which we would compromise our no-logs architecture or encryption protections.”

“To prevent this, we will consider all viable options, including limiting or, if necessary, removing our presence from Canadian jurisdiction,” NordVPN said in a post on X.

The Globe and Mail has reported that Signal, an encrypted messaging service, said it would leave Canada if the bill requires it to compromise user privacy.

Windscribe, a VPN provider based in Canada, has said it would leave the country if the bill passes.

“Signal isn’t headquartered in Canada so they can just shut off Canadian servers, but our HQ is,” the company said in a post on X.

“We pay an ungodly amount of taxes to this corrupt government, and in return they want to destroy the entire essence of our service to basically spy on its own citizens. Not happening. We’ll move HQ and take our taxes elsewhere.”

A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement last week the government “categorically rejects claims that Bill C-22 would enable the surveillance of Canadians through everyday devices such as cars, home cameras, or smart TVs, or that it would require companies to introduce so‑called ‘back doors’ into their products so that the government could gain access to customer data.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca