Canada’s privacy watchdog says he was never consulted on a federal bill that could let cabinet secretly shut down a Canadian’s internet or phone access.Blacklock's Reporter says Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne told MPs the issue “never came up” before the Trudeau government tabled Bill C-8, legislation that would give Ottawa sweeping new powers over telecommunications companies in the name of cybersecurity. “We are not consulted on specific pieces of legislation before they are tabled,” Dufresne testified at the Commons ethics committee. “I don’t want privacy to be an obstacle to transparency,” he added.Under Bill C-8, cabinet could “prohibit a telecom service provider from using all products and services provided to a specified person” if it deemed there to be “any threat.” The law would not require a warrant or judicial review..Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds–Grenville, Ont.) warned the bill hands the government secret, warrantless authority over Canadians’ communications. “Without meaningful limits, bills like C-8 can hand the government secret powers over Canadians’ communications,” said Barrett. “It’s a serious setback for privacy and for democracy.”Barrett pressed Dufresne on why Parliament wasn’t required to conduct privacy impact assessments before passing such laws. “Isn’t Parliament simply being asked to grant sweeping powers of surveillance to the government without a formal review?” he asked. “It’s not a legal obligation under the Privacy Act,” replied Dufresne..When asked whether secret orders to disable a person’s internet or phone access would violate privacy principles, Dufresne said, “We need to make sure that by protecting national security we are not doing so at the expense of privacy.”A similar proposal, Bill C-26, died in the last Parliament amid privacy concerns. Dufresne said any new cybersecurity law should include clear limits and “criteria on necessity and proportionality” to ensure powers are tested from a privacy perspective.The Canadian Constitution Foundation also condemned Bill C-8, saying it “poses serious risks to civil liberties.” Foundation counsel Josh Dehaas warned the law could be used “to secretly cut off political dissidents from their phone or internet service on the pretense they may try to manipulate the telecom system,” calling it a violation of “our most cherished freedoms, including free speech.”
