Chamber asks Carney to split Bill C-22 over business concerns
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to split the federal government's lawful-access bill in two.
The request came in a letter this week from Matthew Holmes, the Chamber's executive vice-president and chief of public policy. It asks Carney to slow down the sections dealing with lawful access for further consultation with industry, while allowing the rest of the bill to proceed through Parliament.
The bill at issue is Bill C-22. It would require telecoms, internet companies and other electronic service providers to alter their systems to provide surveillance and monitoring capabilities to police services and CSIS, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Chamber said the current version would leave Canadian businesses at a competitive disadvantage compared with counterparts in the United States and the European Union. It said Canada's proposed regime goes considerably further in several critical areas than comparable frameworks in those jurisdictions, and warned that some firms could leave the country.
The letter said Bill C-22 could lead to companies being required to retain customers' metadata for up to six months.
Bill C-22 is now in the Senate after moving quickly through committee in the House of Commons. At committee, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree introduced amendments, including a clarification that a company that does not hold a key to encryption would not be required to decrypt information it holds.
Apple renewed its criticism of the bill on Thursday, saying that despite the government amendments, C-22 could weaken encryption.
The government has said the legislation would give law enforcement new tools to investigate threats and keep Canadians safe, according to Public Safety Canada. It said the bill was informed by extensive consultations and would align Canadian law with that of major allies, including the Five Eyes.
