Canada: government ready to amend its law on law enforcement access to data

The Canadian federal government indicated, on May 21, 2026, that it was prepared to amend Bill C-22 “concerning lawful access,” in order to better guarantee the protection of personal data. This legislation aims to facilitate law enforcement access to certain digital information in the context of investigations.

One of the provisions would require digital service providers to develop “systems” capable of transmitting data requested under a judicial warrant. Bill C-22 does specify that it cannot compel these providers to weaken their encryption systems or to introduce “systemic vulnerabilities.” However, the ambiguity of the text could nonetheless open the door to the installation of backdoors.

This situation has drawn sharp criticism from privacy advocacy organizations, as well as technology companies such as Apple, Meta, and NordVPN. The latter has threatened to limit its services, or even leave Canada, if the law were to come into force as written.

The Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, Francis Bilodeau, sought to reassure on the scope of the text and the guarantees offered in terms of privacy. He notably indicated that the government was “open” to a “clarification” of the law’s provisions relating to data security.