Introduction
Bill C-8, An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts, establishes the most significant federal cybersecurity framework Canada has enacted. The Bill creates a dual regime: it expands the federal government’s power to secure Canada’s telecommunications system, and it imposes mandatory, enforceable cybersecurity obligations on operators of critical cyber systems across federally regulated sectors.
Bill C-8 is the successor to Bill C-26, which was introduced in the previous Parliament but did not become law before Parliament was prorogued. It was reintroduced last year in substantially similar form as Bill C-8 in the 45th Parliament. The Bill reached a significant milestone on June 16, 2026, when received royal assent. Having now completed its passage through Parliament, the majority of its substantive obligations set out in Part 2 of the Bill will come into force on a day or days to be fixed by
