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OTTAWA – This afternoon, Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) Counsel Alexander Surgenor will appear before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa to raise concerns about Bill C-22, the federal government’s proposed Lawful Access Act. A live webcast of the meeting will be available beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET here.

Surgenor’s remarks will cover how Bill C-22 threatens Canadians’ privacy by expanding government surveillance powers. Despite improvements from the original Bill C-2, the legislation would still require electronic service providers to build systems that allow law enforcement and CSIS easy access to Canadians’ private electronic data. The bill could also require companies to collect and store metadata for up to one year, creating extensive records of Canadians’ movements and fact of their communications that could be misused by future governments or fall into the wrong hands.

The CCF urges Parliament to carefully scrutinize Bill C-22 and ensure that any lawful access regime includes meaningful safeguards for privacy and respects the constitutional protections guaranteed by section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In April, the CCF launched an online petition opposing Bill C-22, which has been signed by 5,000 Canadians to date concerned by the prospect of government spying.

The CCF also published an Explainer on Bill C-22 and its implications for privacy rights which can be read by clicking here.