Chapter 5: Assessment — Assessing Canada’s Lawful Access Challenges
Special Report on the Lawful Access to Communications by Security and Intelligence Organizations

Assessing Canada’s Lawful Access Challenges

167. The Committee heard that Canada’s security and intelligence organizations regularly face challenges in investigating threats to national security because of the combined effects of rapidly evolving technology, the global nature of digital communications, and a legal framework that has not kept pace with the advances in technology. While these advances in technology have created new opportunities for CSIS and the RCMP to collect information in support of their respective mandates, both organizations state that the challenges currently outweigh the opportunities. The Committee observed that the impact and significance of each of these challenges present themselves differently for each organization, depending on the degree to which CSIS or the RCMP have been able to mitigate them. These dynamics are explored below.