TORONTO — Federal and provincial officials joined police leaders in Vancouver Friday to promote new federal legislation aimed at modernizing how Canadian law enforcement accesses digital evidence in criminal investigations.B.C. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said the proposed legislation would provide investigators with tools to address crimes increasingly carried out online.Krieger was joined by federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Vancouver Police Chief Stephen Rye, RCMP commanding officer Dwayne McDonald, and other policing officials.Anandasangaree said Canada’s existing laws governing how police obtain digital information have not kept pace with technological change or the methods used by modern criminal networks.“Technology has moved forward at a pace we’ve never seen before,” said. “Our laws are stuck in another century.”The proposed legislation, Bill C-22, would create a national framework for lawful access to digital information held by electronic service providers. According to the federal government, the bill aims to help law enforcement investigate crimes such as online sexual exploitation, extortion, human trafficking and fraud, while maintaining judicial oversight and privacy protections.Anandasangaree said the bill was developed after consultations with police, industry leaders, academics and civil liberties groups, including discussions led by former B.C. cabinet minister Murray Rankin following concerns raised about an earlier version of the legislation.“This legislation balances the needs of law enforcement with the privacy and civil rights of Canadians,” Anandasangaree said. “It is not about surveillance of Canadians going about their daily lives.”Under the proposal, electronic service providers would be required to maintain systems capable of responding to lawful requests for information. Police would still require judicial authorization to obtain most personal information, although the legislation would allow investigators to first determine which provider holds an account associated with a phone number or online identifier.B.C. officials said the changes could help address delays that currently slow investigations.Krieger said police frequently encounter situations where even with a court order they cannot obtain basic identifying information quickly enough to proceed with investigations involving serious crimes.“Criminals and sophisticated crime networks are increasingly using digital tools to prey on vulnerable individuals,” she said..Police leaders at the event said faster access to information could shorten investigations that currently take weeks or months.Rye said the Vancouver Police Department’s Internet Child Exploitation unit handles more than 600 cases each year, many of which begin with limited information about suspects.“The tools proposed in Bill C-22 would make it easier for police officers to identify which telecommunication service provider an offender may be using,” he said.McDonald provided an example of a recent child exploitation investigation in which a telecommunications provider indicated it would take between 25 and 30 days to respond to a production order after initially taking nearly a month to acknowledge it.“During this time, the investigation was unable to proceed,” he said. “Delays give suspects time to continue committing crimes and putting victims at risk.”Police leaders said the legislation would also require service providers to respond more quickly to court-approved requests, potentially reducing response times to about 10 days.Andrew Chan, president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, said the proposed law reflects the increasing role digital evidence plays in criminal investigations.“Serious crime today often occurs online, across borders and at a speed that did not exist when many of our investigative laws were written,” Chan said.Federal officials said the legislation would also help Canadian authorities obtain information from companies located outside the country through existing international assistance agreements.The government has called for swift passage of the bill, arguing it would bring Canada more in line with investigative frameworks used by allied countries.Bill C-22 must still proceed through Parliament before becoming law.
