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What is the full text and summary of Bill C-8 (Canada) as introduced in Parliament?
Executive summary
Bill C-8, introduced June 18, 2025 as "An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts," would amend the Telecommunications Act and create the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA) to regulate “designated operators” in sectors like banking, energy, transport and telecoms, adding duties on incident reporting, record‑keeping and compliance enforced by sector regulators [1] [2]. The full text is available on the Parliament of Canada site (first reading) and a Library of Parliament legislative summary and Justice Canada Charter Statement have been tabled to explain potential Charter impacts [3] [4] [5].
1. What the bill is and where to read the full text
Bill C‑8 is the federal government’s re‑introduced cybersecurity package combining amendments to the Telecommunications Act with a stand‑alone statute, the CCSPA; the Parliament of Canada has posted the full text (first reading) online for public access [3]. The LegisInfo entry and OpenParliament pages track the bill’s status and link to the legislative summary prepared by the Library of Parliament for a concise digest [4] [6].
2. Main substantive changes proposed — two prongs of reform
The legislation is structured as two linked reforms: (a) amendments to the Telecommunications Act to make security of the telecommunications system a central policy objective and to empower the Minister and Governor in Council to issue directions and share information, and (b) the creation of the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act to impose a regulatory framework for “designated operators” in critical sectors such as banking, telecommunications, energy, transportation, nuclear and clearing/settlement systems [2] [1] [7].
3. Duties and enforcement that would affect companies
Under CCSPA, designated operators would face mandatory obligations including mapping and protecting “vital systems,” creating and maintaining cybersecurity programs, rapid incident reporting, and keeping implementation and incident records in Canada; enforcement would lean on existing federal regulators (e.g., OSFI, Bank of Canada, Canadian Energy Regulator, CNSC) and could include administrative monetary penalties and binding directions [7] [2] [8].
4. Privacy, secrecy and Charter concerns flagged by critics
Civil society groups and privacy advocates warn Bill C‑8 carries significant privacy and constitutional risks—pointing to secrecy provisions, broad ministerial powers to direct operators and to disclose or share information domestically and internationally, and the potential to weaken encryption or permit intrusive measures—criticisms previously levelled against the earlier Bill C‑26 and echoed for C‑8 [9] [5] [10]. The Department of Justice has tabled a Charter Statement discussing potential limits on rights and justifications under section 1 [5].
5. Industry and legal advisers: practical impacts and continuity with past efforts
Law firms and consulting firms treating C‑8 as a near‑duplicate of the earlier C‑26 note that it revives earlier policy choices: delegating sector‑specific enforcement to existing regulators, imposing extensive compliance costs for large operators, and likely accelerating obligations for suppliers and vendors in critical sectors; commentators advise designated operators to begin mapping vital systems and preparing incident‑response and record‑keeping frameworks now [1] [7] [2].
6. Political and procedural context — reintroduction and legislative momentum
Bill C‑8 re‑introduces measures that previously progressed as Bill C‑26 but died on the Order Paper when Parliament was prorogued; because of that prior progress, many legal observers expect C‑8 could move quickly through Parliament, though the bill remains subject to committee review and amendment [1] [8]. LegisInfo and OpenParliament show the bill’s status and track debates and committee referrals [4] [6].
7. Conflicting viewpoints and where sources disagree
Proponents (industry advisers, regulators referenced by proponents) portray C‑8 as necessary to protect national infrastructure and to harmonize Canada with allied regimes; they emphasize compliance, resilience and statutory clarity [2] [11]. Civil liberties groups argue the bill risks privacy and constitutional rights through secrecy and ministerial power, calling for targeted fixes and stronger safeguards [9] [10]. Both perspectives are present in current reporting [2] [9].
8. Limitations and what the sources do not provide
Available sources do not mention the final enacted wording (the bill had been at early readings and committee as of sources) or any government responses to specific civil society amendment proposals beyond the Justice Charter Statement; they also do not provide post‑passage implementation details because C‑8 had not been enacted in the documents cited [4] [9]. For verbatim, section‑by‑section legal drafting, consult the Parliament of Canada full text posted at first reading [3].
If you want, I can extract and summarize key sections verbatim from the Parliament of Canada text (e.g., powers to issue directions, definitions of “designated operator,” reporting timelines) and highlight where lawyers and civil‑liberties groups differ on specific clauses.