Privacy Commissioner wants to see clearer definitions in Bill C-8

Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne agreed during questioning at a recent committee meeting that the federal government’s new bill amending the Telecommunications Act needs clearer definitions guarding the protection of people’s privacy. Dufresne was appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics to brief them on his office’s work. During a round of questions, Conservative Senator Michael Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes, Ont.) criticized Bill C-8 for potentially giving the government “sweeping and secret powers” to order telecommunications companies to stop providing service to people. The bill proposes to amend the act to increase the country’s cybersecurity measures and includes a provision that would allow the government to require telecoms stop providing service to an individual if they deem it necessary. That provision has been met with critique from politicians and others. Barrett noted there has been a “pretty broad chorus of voices” concerned about the bill. He also raised concerns about the possibility people’s data could be collected without a warrant, and without public oversight. He asked Dufresne if such powers are inconsistent with the principles of the Privacy Act. “I've always stated that privacy is not an obstacle to public interest. It's not an obstacle to national security or to strong economy, but we need to make sure that by protecting national security, we're not doing so at the expense of privacy,” Dufresne said. Dufresne, who added that he has been waiting to be called to testify on C-8 and said his office is reviewing it “very, very carefully,” agreed that more could be done to make the legislation more sound. He noted that his office is not consulted on specific pieces of legislation before they are tabled, though he said that earlier consultation could make his office’s feedback more meaningful. Barrett also wanted Dufresne to comment on what he described as a lack of oversight in the bill, saying it allows for decision-makers to act in secret, without having to report on the actions they take. Dufresne’s view is that the bill should include provisions for confidential reporting on the use of the powers to “some authority” which could raise questions about the use of the legislation. “There will be instances where making something known to the public may not be appropriate, but we should challenge a claim to absolute secrecy. We should make sure that there's appropriate reporting to the appropriate authorities and that there is an appropriate means to raise questions,” Dufresne said, adding later that more specifics should be added regarding necessity and proportionality in the legislation so that there is “a strong test.” Dufresne otherwise repeated calls he made before the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs last week – and in years prior– saying that Canada’s privacy legislation needs to be updated. “Legislation will never evolve as quickly as technology … but now we have a public sector law that dates back to the 80s, and a private one from the beginning of the 2000s, so they need to be amended,” he said in French. news@thewirereport.ca

Privacy Commissioner wants to see clearer definitions in Bill C-8

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|October 7, 2025

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Privacy Commissioner wants to see clearer definitions in Bill C-8

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff |October 7, 2025

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Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|October 7, 2025