March 12, 2026

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) supports the introduction of Bill C-22, legislation intended to modernize Canada’s lawful access regime and to strengthen Canada’s ability to investigate crime and protect the public in the digital age.

Several CACP members, including the President, Commissioner Thomas Carrique, attended today’s announcement alongside the federal ministers of Public Safety and Justice. Their presence signaled the police community’s support for legislative reforms that reflect the realities of modern investigations and ensure investigators can access critical digital evidence through clear and lawful processes.

Whether investigating carjackings, home invasions, organized crime, extortion, child exploitation, fraud, or hate-motivated violence, investigators often rely on digital evidence to identify suspects, locate victims, and prevent further harm. Today, many of these crimes are planned and committed using digital platforms or encrypted communications.

Canada’s legal framework governing warrants, searches, and seizures was created in a pre-digital world, but adversaries seeking to harm our citizens, our country, and our way of life are operating in a digital world. Criminals increasingly operate in complex online environments, where key evidence may exist only in digital form. As a result, our outdated lawful access framework allows offenders to escape accountability.

Without timely access to lawful digital evidence, investigations can stall, victims may remain at risk, and critical information may be lost.

Bill C-22 proposes updates that would help investigators access certain information more efficiently and respond quickly in urgent situations, while maintaining strong legal safeguards. Judicial authorization requirements, privacy laws and Charter protections would continue to guide how and when law enforcement may obtain sensitive information.

Specifically, the legislation would give investigators timely confirmation of telecommunication service provider information in a timely way, accelerate information sharing, clarify voluntary disclosures, allow emergency access to data in urgent cases, and support lawful access to digital evidence necessary to investigate serious crime.

The proposed legislative changes seek to align lawful access to information to the speed and form that information now travels. The results will be more investigations solved in a timely manner, a less cumbersome process, and a strong lawful access framework that maintains the data privacy of Canadians.

Public safety is a non-partisan issue. This is why Canada’s police chiefs urge all members of Parliament to express support for the timely passing of Bill C-22. The CACP looks forward to constructive engagement with Parliament as this bill moves through the legislative process.

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Media contact: Natalie Wright, 613.838.8807 or natalie@cacp.ca.