Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The rationale behind NDP-5, is that Bill C-8 grants the minister broad powers to compel the production of any information considered on reasonable grounds to be relevant to the exercise or enforcement of the minister's powers under part 1 of the bill. This could allow the government to order companies to hand over the personal and confidential data of Canadians without a judicial warrant or other independent oversight. As the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, amongst others, has pointed out, this “falls short of the constitutional minimum”.
This amendment requires the government to obtain prior judicial authorization from the Federal Court before it can compel a telecommunications provider to disclose personal or de-identified information so that this section of Bill C-8 can meet the minimum protection against the government interfering with individuals' reasonable expectation of privacy under section 8 of the charter.
Mr. Chair, I would note that this amendment is identical to CPC-21.