As Parliament considers possible amendments to Bill C-22, the Carney government’s so-called Lawful Access Act, it’s time to speak the truth: this legislation cannot be saved in its current form and must be scrapped.

In recent weeks, encrypted messaging services, VPN providers, social media companies, and civil liberties groups have sounded the alarm on Bill C-22. Signal has said it will leave the Canadian marketplace altogether rather than adhere to Bill C-22 in its current form. Windscribe, a Toronto-based VPN provider, has said it will move its headquarters out of Canada should the bill pass as-is.

JAY GOLDBERG: Bill C-22 cannot be saved and must be scrapped Back to video

Meta and Apple, too, have raised significant concerns. And more than 25 leading civil society groups signed an open letter warning Bill C-22 would be “the most expansive invasion of Canadian privacy rights in modern history.”

Why is Bill C-22 so dangerous?

For one thing, it would force companies to retain Canadians’ metadata for up to one year, essentially taking a wrecking ball to private........

© Edmonton Sun