**Liberal Government Proposes Bill to Restrict Internet Access** The Canadian government is advancing legislation that could allow officials to restrict internet access for specific individuals. Bill C-8 is currently in its second reading in the House of Commons. The bill includes a provision that would enable the federal government to cut internet services to any designated person based solely on the order of the Minister of Industry, currently Mélanie Joly, in consultation with the Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree.

Under the proposed changes to the Telecommunications Act, telecom providers like Rogers and Telus would be required to terminate services for individuals specified by the government. The bill states that the industry minister could “prohibit a telecommunications service provider from providing any service to any specified person.” This action would not require a warrant, and judicial oversight would only occur after the order is executed. A Federal Court would review the decision only after the internet service has been cut off.

The government has framed Bill C-8 as a necessary measure to address “unprecedented cyber-threats.” In a recent session in the House of Commons, Anandasangaree defended the bill, stating, “Malicious cyber-actors are breaching our country’s IT systems, accessing sensitive information and putting lives in danger.” He emphasized that hostile state actors are stealing information and compromising systems critical to national security and public safety.

The rationale for granting a federal minister the authority to deny internet service to individuals is outlined in the bill, which claims it may be “necessary to do so to secure the Canadian telecommunications system against any threat, including that of interference, manipulation, disruption or degradation.”

Critics of Bill C-8 have raised concerns about the extensive powers it grants the federal government to collect internet data without a warrant. They argue that the bill could enable the government to secretly instruct telecom providers to impose surveillance obligations on private companies and weaken encryption standards. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association criticized the bill, stating it would empower the government to order telecom providers “to do anything or refrain from doing anything,” without limits.

This proposed legislation comes despite the Liberal government's previous commitments to internet freedom. Canada has been a founding member of the Freedom Online Coalition, which advocates for free and open access to the internet. The government has previously condemned state control over internet access as a threat to human rights. In 2019, Canada joined a coalition statement denouncing the obstruction of free expression and peaceful assembly online.

In a 2020 information sheet, the Liberal government asserted that “the rights and freedoms that individuals have offline must also be protected online.” The document emphasized Canada’s commitment to collaborating with international partners to safeguard internet freedom, including the rights to online expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Bill C-8 is part of a broader trend of legislation introduced by the Liberal government that seeks to impose new controls on the Canadian internet. Earlier this year, the Online News Act was enacted, requiring social media companies to compensate news outlets for links shared on their platforms. Critics are concerned that these measures could undermine the principles of internet freedom that Canada has long championed.