Bill C-8

An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts

Sponsor

Gary Anandasangaree  Liberal

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

Part 1 amends the Telecommunications Act to add the promotion of the security of the Canadian telecommunications system as an objective of the Canadian telecommunications policy and to authorize the Governor in Council and the Minister of Industry to direct telecommunications service providers to do anything, or refrain from doing anything, that is necessary to secure the Canadian telecommunications system. It also establishes an administrative monetary penalty scheme to promote compliance with orders and regulations made by the Governor in Council and the Minister of Industry to secure the Canadian telecommunications system as well as rules for judicial review of those orders and regulations.
Part 2 enacts the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act to provide a framework for the protection of the critical cyber systems of services and systems that are vital to national security or public safety and that are delivered or operated as part of a work, undertaking or business that is within the legislative authority of Parliament. It also, among other things,
(a) authorizes the Governor in Council to designate any service or system as a vital service or vital system;
(b) authorizes the Governor in Council to establish classes of operators in respect of a vital service or vital system;
(c) requires designated operators to, among other things, establish and implement cyber security programs, mitigate supply-chain and third-party risks, report cyber security incidents and comply with cyber security directions;
(d) provides for the exchange of information between relevant parties and the disposal of personal information; and
(e) authorizes the enforcement of the obligations under the Act and imposes consequences for non-compliance.
This Part also makes consequential amendments to certain Acts.
Part 3 provides for a five-year review of the provisions enacted or amended by this Act.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-8s:

C-8 (2021) Law Economic and Fiscal Update Implementation Act, 2021
C-8 (2020) Law An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's call to action number 94)
C-8 (2020) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy)
C-8 (2016) Law Appropriation Act No. 5, 2015-16

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Oct. 28, 2025

  • Walshe, Associate Head, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment
  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry
  • Gibson, Director, Cyber Protection Policy Division, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
  • Couillard, Director General, Cyber Partnerships, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment
  • MacSween, Director General, National Cyber Security Directorate, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Oct. 30, 2025

  • Quaid, Executive Director, Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange
  • Stupak, Senior Director of Advocacy, ISC2, Inc.
  • Simon Noël, Intelligence Commissioner, Office of the Intelligence Commissioner
  • Dufresne, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Offices of the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada
  • Dehaas, Counsel, Canadian Constitution Foundation
  • Shull, Managing Director and General Counsel, Centre for International Governance Innovation
  • Lefebvre, Chairman and Co-founder, Crypto Québec
  • Polsky, President, Privacy and Access Council of Canada

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Nov. 6, 2025

  • Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety
  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry
  • MacSween, Director General, National Cyber Security Directorate, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
  • Bilodeau, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, National Cyber and Security Branch, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
  • O'Gorman, President, Canada Border Services Agency
  • Gionet, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Protection and Family Programs Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
  • Lang, Director General, Integrity Policy and Programs, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
  • Boudreau, Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Dec. 4, 2025

  • Robertson, Senior Research Associate, Citizen Lab, University of Toronto, As an Individual
  • de Boer, Vice-President, Government Relations, BlackBerry
  • Hatfield, Executive Director, OpenMedia
  • Warnell, Chief Information Security Officer, Bruce Power
  • Bradley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Electricity Canada

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Jan. 27, 2026

  • Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry
  • McMicking, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Sector, Department of Industry
  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry
  • Kwan, Director General, Spectrum and Telecommunications Sector, Department of Industry

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Feb. 3, 2026

  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Feb. 5, 2026

  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry
  • Legault, Legislative Clerk

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Feb. 10, 2026

  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Feb. 24, 2026

  • Arbour, Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy Branch, Department of Industry

Public Safety and National Security Committee, on Feb. 26, 2026

  • MacSween, Director General, National Cyber Security Directorate, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
  • Larose, Principal Advisor on Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment
  • Clerk
  • Gibson, Director, National Cyber Security Directorate, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness