Bill C-8: Canada's Cybersecurity Overhaul Reboots

As we continue to see high profile attacks on critical infrastructure in Canada, the US, and elsewhere the calls for specific Canadian regulations pertaining to affected sectors have remained consistent. With the current geopolitical climate, US security agencies have called for increased vigilance, which should come as no surprise. The European Union had responded to these threats by requiring EU Member States to transpose the NIS2 Directive into national law by October 2024.

On June 18, 2025, Canada's Minister of Public Safety tabled Bill C-8, An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts. If enacted, Bill C-8 would establish the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (CCSPA), a framework previously introduced in the last Parliament under Bill C-26. The CCSPA is designed to strengthen the protection of critical cyber systems deemed essential to national infrastructure and public safety.