Broader powers for Canadian police to track suspects online as privacy concerns resurface

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published March 15, 2026

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Canada has reopened the long-running debate over lawful access to data by introducing Bill C-22, legislation designed to give police and security agencies updated tools to obtain information tied to criminal and national security investigations through telecom and internet services. Ottawa says the move is needed because crime and public-safety threats increasingly operate through digital platforms.

The Justice Department says the bill responds in part to court rulings including R. v. Spencer and R. v. Bykovets, which confirmed that access to certain basic user information requires lawful authority and cannot happen outside a clear legal framework. According to the government, the proposed tools would require law enforcement to explain how the requested information relates to the offence under investigation and how it would help advance the case.

Parliament’s published text says the bill focuses on telecommunications and electronic service providers and creates a framework to ensure they can facilitate authorized access when authorities already hold the required legal powers under the Criminal Code or the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act. It also provides for a later parliamentary review of parts of the legislation.

The government argues that this version is narrower than earlier attempts and includes oversight and privacy protections. Still, legal and civil-liberties concerns remain. Critics argue that any expansion of state access to digital information raises questions about the limits of data collection and the risk of broader surveillance if safeguards are not strong enough.

In practical terms, the bill does not, according to the government, create an unrestricted power for police to search people’s digital lives. But it does intensify the debate over where legitimate investigation ends and privacy intrusion begins in a country where Charter protections against unreasonable search and seizure remain central. If passed, the law could affect how certain subscriber and digital information is requested from service providers in Canada.