The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in U.S. hands

Canadians are waking up to just how much power American tech companies have over their digital life. In April, Microsoft confirmed that U.S. law can override foreign privacy protections, even for data stored on servers outside the United States. That means if Canadian data is hosted by Microsoft, Amazon or Google, it can be accessed by U.S. authorities. Article content

For Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP) in Quebec City, it’s a clear sign Canada needs to take digital sovereignty seriously. In a recent Policy Options article, he argues that Canada has grown too dependent on U.S. cloud providers and tech infrastructure, and risks losing control over its economy, governance and secur