Senate passes Bill C-8, with some modifications
Despite committee safeguards, a Mar. 25 Speaker ruling removed requirements for prior judicial authorization to block telecom services to “any specified persons.”
Last week, the Senate passed a revised cybersecurity bill with added privacy safeguards, though it was seen as a limited compromise, as key provisions were quietly reinstated despite earlier committee amendments.
Senator Denise Batters said the legislation is “long overdue,” noting committee amendments improved it but that privacy concerns and gaps remain, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Our critical systems are currently vulnerable to attack and it is better to have at least that basic protection in place,” she said in Third Reading debate. “I have some sympathy for that argument. It is a dangerous, fast-paced world and global cyber threats seem to only be accelerating at breakneck speed.”
