Thread by @jdtabish

1/ The government wants Bill C-22 to be a debate about Big Tech hypocrisy -- but don't fall for it.

It's actually a debate about Canadian sovereignty. 🧵 thestar.com/politics/feder…

2/ If Canada is serious about protecting its data from foreign governments, hostile states, and criminal networks, it should not weaken the digital systems Canadians rely on.

3/ However you feel about technology companies, the government is clearly trying to change the subject.

4/ The key question is this:

Why is Ottawa proposing powers that could create new vulnerabilities in Canada’s digital ecosystem at the very moment it claims to be committed to Canada's digital sovereignty?

5/ As drafted, Bill C-22 could weaken encryption, force certain providers to retain sensitive metadata for up to a year, and require companies to maintain technical capabilities that allow access to data on their networks.

6/ These are not speculative concerns or torqued talking points from a handful of companies.

Scores of independent legal experts, civil liberties organizations, and Canadian entrepreneurs have identified these risks in the text of the bill.

7/ Together, these measures could make Canada’s digital infrastructure less secure and Canadians’ data more exposed to hackers and foreign snooping.

8/ The good news is that MPs can still fix Bill C-22.

At a minimum, Parliament should amend the bill to explicitly protect end-to-end encryption, prohibit backdoors, and tightly limit metadata retention.

9/ That is how Parliament can protect public safety without compromising Canada’s digital sovereignty.

10/ More on how Bill C-22 poses risks to Canada's digital sovereignty: hilltimes.com/2026/04/23/how…

11/ And here's a great backgrounder on how Bill C-22 is part of a broader set of government efforts to expand access to digital information and facilitate cross-border data sharing thewalrus.ca/trump-wants-to…