Apple just told the Canadian government that Bill C-22 would force the company to break encryption by inserting backdoors into its products. Google is saying similar things. So is the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. The government isn't listening.
Bill C-22 is Canada's attempt to mandate "lawful access" to encrypted communications. The specifics are complicated, but the practical effect is straightforward: companies would be required to provide law enforcement access to encrypted data when presented with a warrant.
The problem is that you can't build a backdoor that only works for law enforcement. Encryption either protects everyone or protects no one. Creating access for police creates access for anyone sophisticated enough to find it.
Apple has been through this fight before. The US government wanted Apple to unlock iPhones for criminal investigations. Apple refused, arguing that building tools to break their own encryption would compromise security for all users. They won that fight, at least temporarily.
Canada is trying a different approach. Instead of demanding Apple unlock specific devices, Bill C-22 would require the capability be built into products from the start. That's more aggressive than what the US asked for.
According to reporting from technology law expert Michael Geist, the Canadian government has dismissed concerns from Apple, Google, and even the US Congress. One Liberal MP reportedly suggested targeting Apple for not being sufficiently supportive of lawful access initiatives.
That framing is revealing. It positions opposition to weakening encryption as lack of cooperation rather than legitimate security concerns. Apple isn't refusing to help law enforcement. They're refusing to break security for everyone in order to help law enforcement.
