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House Hansard - 264

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 264 - Dec/7/23
Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC)
  • Dec/7/23 10:08:25 a.m.
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-370, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (unlocking of electronic device). He said: Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo for seconding my bill today. I am honoured to rise to introduce the bringing home justice for victims of serious crimes act. There are few things more frustrating to law enforcement than to have the legal right to access potential evidence but the inability to get that evidence. That evidence is often locked behind a virtual locked door of encryption. This can impede the investigation of critical files, such as for child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. It denies justice to the victims of these serious crimes, many of whom are children. This bill would allow a judge to make an order to compel a person to unlock their device in a narrow range of specific serious offences where law enforcement has already received a warrant to access the information on that device. As technology continues to progress, Parliament must ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs. This legislation would give law enforcement a previously unavailable tool to ensure critical evidence for serious crimes by unlocking electronic devices. When I have spoken to members of law enforcement and child protection organizations, they have made it clear that this tool would be a game-changer when it comes to securing justice for child victims of serious crimes. I want to thank the individuals from both the justice community and child advocacy community who have helped draft this bill. The work they do every day is so important. Let us bring home justice for victims of serious crimes.
283 words
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