Latest News About Bill C-22

Here are the latest developments on Bill C-22 in Canada as of May 2026.

Core status

• Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, 2026, cleared the House of Commons second reading on April 20, 2026 and has since proceeded to committee stage. This set the bill on a path toward detailed scrutiny, potential amendments, and then further readings before any final passage.

What the bill would do (high-level)

• If enacted, it would require metadata retention by core providers for up to one year, give the Public Safety Minister authority to issue secret capability orders to electronic service providers, and lower the threshold for police access to subscriber information. These are among the provisions attracting significant public and expert scrutiny.
• The Privacy Commissioner of Canada currently faces questions about whether the act includes adequate oversight and protections, a point of debate among privacy advocates and legal scholars.

Key voices and concerns

• Privacy and civil-liberties groups, as well as tech companies and some academic commentators, have raised concerns about expanded government surveillance powers and potential overreach, particularly around metadata retention and secret orders.
• The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has publicly urged defeat of the bill, framing it as a broad expansion of surveillance powers and government access to Canadians’ data.

Current timeline and next steps

• The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) is examining the bill, hearing witnesses, and drafting potential amendments. The typical sequence would include clause-by-clause consideration, followed by report stage, third reading in the House, and then Senate review. If all goes well, royal assent could occur in late 2026 or 2027.

Public and media coverage

• There are diverse takes across sources: some outlets describe the bill as a major step toward modernizing lawful access to communications, while critics warn of privacy and civil-liberties risks and potential cross-border implications.

What to watch next

• Key moments will be: SECU witness hearings (privacy advocates, providers, and Charter scholars), any clause-by-clause amendments proposed by government or opposition, and the Senate’s review process. The balance of amendments and government acceptance at each stage will largely determine the bill’s trajectory toward royal assent.

Notes

• If you’d like, I can monitor for official committee schedules and provide a concise update after each major stage (e.g., after SECU hearings or clause-by-clause votes).