Liberal government has failed to start the parliamentary review of Bill C‑59, the 2019 legislation that gave Canada's security agencies expanded powers, three years after the deadline set in the law.
Parliamentary review stalled
The law required a comprehensive assessment by 2023. Documents obtained by Global News show that the chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency raised the missed deadline with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree in a November 2025 meeting. Ten months later the minister's office replied that initiating the review is a parliamentary responsibility, not a ministerial one.
Simon Lafortune, a spokesperson for the minister, said the government remains committed to supporting Parliament in its work on national security legislation. The Liberal chair of the House of Commons public safety committee, Jean‑Yves Duclos, has not responded to requests for comment.
Implications for Canada's intelligence framework
Professor Stephanie Carvin of Carleton University, a former CSIS analyst, said the missed deadline reflects a broader pattern of federal governments acting only after a crisis. She noted that the last major intelligence reforms followed the 9/11 attacks, the 2014 Parliament shooting and the 2019 Bill C‑59, each introduced in omnibus packages and then largely forgotten.
CSIS has been urging a legislative update for decades. Its 2025 annual report warned that changes made over the past four decades have been outstripped by the speed of evolving threats, leaving Canada at a disadvantage compared with allies in gathering intelligence and protecting national interests.
The Communications Security Establishment, now the country's primary cyber‑defence and signals intelligence agency, also operates under a legal framework that predates the modern internet. Carvin argued that the CSE Act, eight years old, needs scrutiny to address AI driven threats and new sovereignty concerns.
A December 2025 briefing for Michael Sabia, the clerk of the Privy Council, highlighted growing tensions between the intelligence community and the review agency, with some disputes likely to end up in the courts. The memo anticipated a future parliamentary review of Bill C‑59 and the oversight system, but details remain redacted.
Without a formal review, Canada risks operating its intelligence and cyber‑defence agencies on outdated authority, potentially limiting their ability to respond to sophisticated foreign interference and cyber attacks. The delay also leaves the civilian oversight mechanisms established by the law without a clear mandate to assess effectiveness.
Based on reporting by Global News.