Woo says the government has not justified the added risks
Yuen Pau WooCanadian senator for British Columbia
Woo says the government has not shown that investigative benefits justify the added risks and urges committee study and substantial amendments.
“I do not believe it has yet done so.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Canada's Bill C-22: Dhillon backs lawful access; Simons warns of security risks
Senator Baltej Dhillon defends the lawful-access framework in Part 2 of Bill C-22. Senators Paula Simons and Yuen Pau Woo question its privacy, cybersecurity and oversight safeguards. The House-passed text lets the federal cabinet require designated providers to keep categories of metadata for up to six months. As of October 24, 2026, the bill was before a Senate committee and was not law.
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Original text
About this source
The debate contains competing evaluations of capability obligations, metadata retention, cybersecurity and oversight.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Woo says the government must demonstrate that investigative benefits justify the additional risks. He says he has serious reservations about passing the bill in its present form.
After the quotation
He calls for committee study and substantial amendments, and says he is not confident the bill can pass as it exists without increasing risks to privacy, data and businesses.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns Bill C-22 Part 2's proposed mandatory capabilities, metadata retention and safeguards. Woo criticizes the government's case for these powers in the bill's present form and urges substantial amendments.
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More from this case
Read the full caseSimons warns Bill C-22's compelled capabilities would weaken cybersecurity
“no way to create a secret passage”Read statement
Dhillon backs Bill C-22's framework for investigative powers
“Our responsibility is to build a Canadian framework that responds to genuine investigative needs and complies with our Charter, our legal traditions and our commitment to cybersecurity. Law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, must be able to adapt, but that adaptability must remain bound by law, independent authorization and meaningful review. Bill C-22 provides a framework for that work.”Read statement
Diab questions whether the retention amendment meaningfully narrows the power
“This is still a power to order the retention of almost everyone’s metadata without individualized suspicion for a significant period of time.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Woo says the government has not justified the added risks". First published: 2026-10-25. Last updated: 2026-10-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/6722-woo-says-the-government-has-not-shown-that