Minister says he won’t split up bill to enhance police search powers

Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree attends the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs at Senate of Canada building in Ottawa on Monday, May 4, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK /Postmedia

Article content

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree kiboshed a Conservative request to split his controversial lawful access bill in half, as a former CSIS director called the lack of such a regime for Canadian police and intelligence agencies “absolutely unacceptable.”

Article content

The day after Conservatives tabled a motion requesting the Liberals split Bill C-22 on lawful access, Anandasangaree was categorical that that wasn’t happening.

Article content

Article content

Article content

“No, we’re not. Lawful access, Bill C-22 as presented, we are very comfortable with the balance between part one and part two and we are not prepared to split that bill,” Anandasangaree told reporters.

Article content

Article content

“These are stalling tactics that are now coming forward to derail and delay the bill itself,” he said, adding that he suspects the move is because there is discord within the Conservative caucus over supporting the reform.

Article content

On Tuesday, during a committee hearing studying the contentious bill, Conservatives promised to help pass the first part of C-22 by the summer recess if the Liberals agreed to split the bill, allowing for further study of the more controversial second part.

Article content

Bill C-22 aims to reform Canada’s lawful access regime, which regulates the most intrusive powers afforded to police and intelligence agencies. The new regime would make it easier for police and intelligence agencies to intercept private communications or personal data as part of their investigations.

Article content

The bill is divided into two parts. The first proposes that police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) be able to approach telecommunications companies and ask them if, yes or no, an individual is a client before having to get a warrant. It then sets out a new path for authorities to obtain client information from the companies with the appropriate warrant.

Article content

Article content

The second part of the current bill proposes new obligations to electronic service providers to organize and retain various types of client data — some for up to one year — in a way that makes it obtainable by law enforcement or CSIS with a warrant.

Article content

That means that if passed, the bill would compel electronic service providers to store and make information like device locations or cameras available to police or CSIS with the requisite warrant. That could be used to track a person’s live location in case they pose a threat to national security or are considered to be in danger, the government cited as examples.

Article content

The reform has faced fierce and growing pushback from opposition parties, tech giants, privacy and civil liberty groups, who argue it does not do enough to protect Canadians’ privacy and encryption services.

Article content

Some companies, such as encrypted messaging application owner Signal, have even threatened to leave the Canadian market if the bill as drafted becomes law.

Article content

But the reform is strongly supported by police and intelligence agencies, who argue that their investigations are increasingly hampered or even stalled by the lack of necessary legal tools to obtain evidence in the digital age.