(LifeSiteNews) — Two American congressional committees have issued a warning that a Canadian Liberal government bill that would give extra powers to police to monitor and search Canadians’ online digital activity without a warrant is a threat to U.S. national security and could weaken North America’s defenses against hackers.
The chairmen of the judiciary and foreign affairs committees, Republicans Jim Jordan and Brian Mast, made the warning in a letter last week addressed to Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
The chairmen said Canada’s Bill C-22, “An Act respecting lawful access,” could “fracture cybersecurity norms” and could also “drastically expand Canada’s surveillance and data-access powers in ways that create significant cross-border risks to the security and data privacy of Americans.”
The letter also noted that Bill C-22 that could “erode the mutual benefits of strong encryption standards.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Bill C-22 was introduced recently by Anandasangaree, purportedly to address privacy concerns relating to another bill, Bill C-2, that would have permitted police and government officials to open and examine Canadians’ personal mail and would also ban cash donations over $10,000.
After backlash late last year about Bill C-2, Anandasangaree said he would rewrite portions of the bill. However, Bill C-22 contains concerning language largely taken from Bill C-2 regarding Canadians’ online privacy.
The bill mandates that telecom and internet companies make it so that their systems allow for surveillance and monitoring capabilities, which could be shared with police and intelligence.
Even tech giants Apple and Meta have warned about Bill C-22, noting it could affect cybersecurity in North America.
The congressmen noted in their letter that U.S. companies doing business in Canada would have to choose between “compromising the security of their entire user base – including U.S. citizens – or risking exclusion from the Canadian market.”
“Either outcome harms U.S. national security and economic interests by undermining trust in American technology and inviting reciprocal demands from other nations,” notes the letter.
Congressman warn Canadian bill will create government ‘backdoors’ that can be hacked
The congressmen in their letter also noted that the bill, if it were to take effect, would allow the creation of “backdoors” that could weaken encryption and affect the privacy of people in the U.S.
They warned, “a backdoor built to satisfy one government’s demands inevitably becomes a target for adversaries.”
“Once access points exist, they do not remain exclusive to lawful authorities – they become persistent, high-value targets for our foreign adversaries,” they wrote.
Backlash to Bill C-22 has been growing. Indeed, recently, a collective of Canadian lawyers and top academics, including Michael Geist, demanded in an open letter that C-22 needs “amendments” at once.
Bill C-22 is now before the House of Commons, awaiting a third reading.
The Democracy Fund (TDF), as reported by LifeSiteNews, recently warned that Bill C-22 will “erode privacy and civil rights” of citizens and is calling for the bill to be stopped.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms recently launched a petition to try to stop the bill.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s legacy of censorship bills has continued with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Bill C-9, the “Combating Hate Act,” was passed by the House of Commons and now awaits Senate approval. The bill opens the door to criminalization of religious expression and belief when quoting the Bible.
Carney has globalist ties and was called the World Economic Forum’s “golden boy” by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. Carney has also admitted that he is an “elitist” and a “globalist.”