Apple and Google have formally pushed for amendments to Bill C-22, the Canadian government’s lawful-access legislation now working its way through the House of Commons, arguing that the bill as drafted creates a potential for secret orders to compel changes to the encryption underpinning their software and devices.
Both companies want judicial oversight built into the process before the relevant ministers can issue such orders. The Reuters report describing the lobbying ran on Tuesday.
The bill replaces an earlier, more sweeping lawful-access regime that had been buried inside Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act introduced in June 2025. Civil-liberties groups, the legal community and opposition parties forced the government to pull the surveillance provisions out and reintroduce them as a standalone bill. C-22 is the result.
It mandates metadata retention for up to one year, lowers the threshold for police access to subscriber data, and grants ministerial power to compel electronic service providers to build technical capabilities for surveillance.
Apple and Google’s objection is to the technical-capability provision. As currently drafted, the relevant minister can issue an order requiring a service provider to design its systems so that government investigators can access specified data; the order can be issued in secret and is not subject to prior judicial review.
