Over 10,000 OpenMedia Members Demand Withdrawal of the “Strong Borders” Act

Bill C-2’s warrantless disclosure powers still loom. Now is the moment to stop Big Brother-style surveillance from coming to Canada.

The beginning of the “strong borders” saga

Bill C-2 was tabled at a time of heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada. In June 2025, the Canadian federal government introduced its first piece of digital legislation: the so-called “Strong Borders Act” (Bill C-2), in the name of securing the Canada-U.S. border to keep Canadians safe.

The 140-page bill rolls together significant changes to Canada’s immigration and refugee system and the Criminal Code, and includes many provisions that threaten our fundamental rights and freedoms protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international law. On top of all the sweeping changes, Bill C-2 introduces an unprecedentedly dangerous proposal: lawful access powers that allow warrantless information demands.

Many have criticized the bill as an appeasement to the Trump administration's data demands, viewing the act as a betrayal of Canadian rights and values. Presenting Public Safety Minister Gary Anandsangaree himself admitted a major part of Bill C-2 was about “irritants” to the Trump White House US. We were proud to join over 300 organizations in a call for the complete withdrawal of Bill C-2.

Our actions against threats to Canadian rights

Within the OpenMedia community, we quickly responded with our “Stop Carney’s Surveillance Plan: Stop Bill C-2!,” campaign and created an FAQ to help people in Canada understand this anti-privacy, anti-rights surveillance bill. In collaboration with a friendly MP willing to bring our concerns in the House of Commons, we have also initiated a formal petition to the House of Commons (e-6838) in September 2025, to call for attentions on four demands:

Immediately withdraw Bill C-2 in its entirety;
Reaffirm Canada’s commitment to privacy, civil liberties, and international human rights standards;
Reject any law or policy allowing foreign states, including the U.S., undue access to Canadians’ personal data; and
Ensure national security and border laws respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and include meaningful judicial oversight.

Canadians took a stand

The voice of the OpenMedia community is clear: Government must fully withdraw Bill C-2. As of January 15, 2026, over 10,000 people have already spoken up, writing to their MPs to demand Bill C-2 be withdrawn.

In October 2025, the government dropped a new border bill, C-12, excluding the overreaching provisions of lawful access powers that allow warrantless information demands; some called that a privacy win, expecting Bill C-2 was gone for good.

However, it didn’t take the civil society too long to realize that Bill C-12 is not true replacement for Bill C-2, but simply an instrument to fast track some controversial measures. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree made clear that the government is still committed to push through refined warrantless powers in Bill C-2 shortly after the introduction of the new border bill.

Privacy-busting Bill C-2 isn’t gone

Canadian Parliament is scheduled to resume regular sittings on Monday, January 26, 2026, after their winter break. In the next few months, our Senate will decide whether to vote through Bill C-12, and the House is expected to pick Bill C-2 back up. That means all of Bill C-2’s terrible provisions could still become law soon, ushering in a future where police and spy agencies will have more surveillance powers, less oversight, and fewer privacy rights for all of us.

This expanded power is a serious shift that enables the government to start piecing together fragments of every Canadian’s online life—who you connect with, which services you use, where you go– with no warrant. It can build an incredibly detailed picture of you with a permanent record of who you are in the hands of every police and spy agency across our country.

That’s the same kind of insight authoritarian governments increasingly use to monitor their citizens and quietly stamp out dissent. When we give away these powers in the name of “security,” we open the door to abuse, and we lose a little more of what makes us free.

What political parties are saying about the border bills

Political parties have taken very different positions on Bill C-2, even before the introduction of the new border bill, Bill C-12. The Liberals introduced the Bill and largely supported it, though there were signs of backbencher disapproval The Green Party and the NDP have been strong critics against the bill from the start, and NDP MP Jenny Kwan agreed to present our parliamentary petition calling for Bill C-2’s withdrawal. The Conservatives have strongly criticized parts of Bill C-2, while the Bloc Québécois has not publicly taken a definitive position on the bill.

The introduction of Bill C-12 has complicated the broader “strong borders” debate, but in some ways it has also clarified what is at stake. With Bill C-12 focused on sweeping changes to immigration policy, the debate around Bill C-2 now centres more clearly on its lawful access powers that allow warrantless information demands.

Both bills defy many in our community’s traditional view of left/right divides. In recent months, we have seen the Liberals work with the Conservatives and Bloc to advance Bill C-12, pushing through sweeping legislation that targets refugees and ushers Canada toward the U.S.-style border policies that risk fuelling xenophobia and the scapegoating of immigrants.

What happens next

When the legislative process on Bill C-2 resumes, whether as a return to the Bill, or the introduction of equivalent legislation, political parties will again face choices about how to come down with its controversial proposal on warrantless information demand powers: whether to advance the bill as written,support some version of it, or take growing public concerns seriously and vote it down.

As Bill C-2 moves closer to becoming law, it’s more important than ever to pay close attention and be heard. OpenMedia will continue to track every development, speak out against threats to privacy and rights, and push for accountability at every step. With your support, we can keep the pressure on, and make sure Canadians’ voices are heard when it matters most.

You may not know it, but our campaigns are almost entirely driven by small donations from people just like you. If you’re able to show your support for continuing this work today, we’d truly appreciate it.