Conservative MPs are demanding answers from the federal government over a proposed law that would give police the power to search mail, saying it raises serious questions about privacy rights and charter compliance.MP Frank Caputo, a former Crown prosecutor, said the government has yet to provide a clear legal explanation for the sweeping changes in Bill C-2. “This is something I know I am going to get mail about,” said Caputo in the House of Commons. “We are now talking about language in the Charter, what is referred to as an expectation of privacy.”.Bill C-2 would repeal a 157-year-old law that bans law enforcement from opening mail in transit. The bill also gives postal inspectors broader powers to intercept suspicious letters, not just parcels, as currently allowed under the Canada Post Corporation Act.Caputo criticized the government for introducing a 130-page bill without releasing a Charter statement. “If they can put out a 130-page bill, certainly they can put out a four or five-page Charter statement,” he said. “Certainly somebody in the government asked if it was Charter compliant — but they won’t say.”.Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree defended the bill, saying it is aimed at combating organized crime. “We need to make it harder for organized crime,” he said. “This is essential to maintaining the safety and security of our country.”Calls for tighter controls have come from indigenous leaders who say mail is being used to smuggle drugs into their communities. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs noted in a 2023 Senate submission that Canada Post is “an unwitting carrier of narcotics” due to legal limits that block police from obtaining judicial authorization to search mail..“Organized criminal groups can exploit this gap with high profitability and relatively low risk,” the Assembly wrote, pointing to northern communities where postal shipments are often the primary means of distributing illegal substances.In 2022, Manitoba chiefs passed a resolution calling for First Nations constables to be granted authority to search mail handled by Canada Post and private couriers. “First Nations have a right to self-determination and their own First Nations laws should be respected and upheld,” the Assembly told senators.
