I appeared on The Loonie Hour podcast on May 29, 2026. In the episode, we discussed Bill C-22, lawful-access powers, and why the proposed framework raises concerns about privacy and state surveillance. The link to the episode is here.
Archive for May 29th, 2026
RCMP Confirms Bill C-22 Concerns: Police Want Law to Provide Access to Encrypted Communications
As the concerns about Bill C-22 mount, the government’s incoherent response has included Justice Minister Sean Fraser implausibly comparing metadata to phone book data and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree suggesting that Canada was just trying to match U.S. metadata retention laws (the U.S. has no such law) and claiming that tech company concerns regarding breaking encryption were based on misinformation.
Yesterday, the RCMP appeared before the Public Safety and National Security committee and quickly contradicted the Minister, affirming that concerns about Bill C-22 are well justified. Indeed, the official confirmed that law enforcement wants the bill specifically because it would provide an opportunity to access encrypted communications. The exodus of tech companies, which now also includes DuckDuckGo, can be expected to continue. The relevant remarks embedded below.
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