by Jameson Berkow Jun 24, 2011
Financial Post

Hidden deep within the federal government’s comprehensive bundle of crime legislation lies a bill that opponents claim will rob Canadians their right to online privacy as well as their cash.

During the last federal election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed to combine 11 separate crime bills into one omnibus piece of legislation and pass it within 100 days of taking power should his Conservative Party win a majority.

Having achieved that victory on May 2, advocacy groups, digital policy experts and opposition Members of Parliament have since raised alarm bells over one provision of the catch-all crime bill in particular, known as “Lawful Access” legislation.

Lawful Access legislation, they argue, would require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disclose customer information to law enforcement without court orders and to invest in new technologies allowing for real-time surveillance of their networks.

Critics argue the new legislation will grant police new powers to obtain access to that surveillance data.

“This legislation is going to be expensive, excessive and really it is quite bizarre in terms of the kind of warrantless surveillance [the government] wants to impose on Canadians,” said Steve Anderson, executive director of Vancouver-based advocacy group OpenMedia.ca.

“I think people are rightfully upset about that.”

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