Bill C-8 Cybersecurity Act - An Act to enact cybersecurity legislation
Summary
Bill C-8, the Cybersecurity Act, has passed the House of Commons with amendments and is currently at second reading in the Senate. The bill establishes a national cybersecurity framework for Canada, creating reporting requirements and security obligations for critical infrastructure operators and federal institutions.
What changed
Bill C-8 enacts the Cybersecurity Act, establishing Canada's first comprehensive federal cybersecurity legislation. The bill passed the House of Commons on March 26, 2026, following committee review and amendments by the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU). It creates a national cybersecurity authority, mandates incident reporting for critical infrastructure operators, and establishes security requirements for government systems.
Organizations should monitor this legislation as it progresses through the Senate. Once enacted, critical infrastructure operators and federal institutions will face new cybersecurity obligations, including mandatory incident reporting timelines and security control requirements. Compliance officers should begin assessing current security practices against anticipated requirements and identify gaps for remediation.
What to do next
- Monitor Senate progress on Bill C-8 as it moves through second reading and committee review
- Review existing cybersecurity incident response procedures against anticipated mandatory reporting requirements
- Assess critical infrastructure status and prepare for new security obligations once Royal Assent is granted
Archived snapshot
Apr 6, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Summary
Current status At second reading in the Senate Latest activity First reading on Thursday, March 26, 2026 (Senate)
Completed on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 End of stage activity Introduction and first reading, Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | Sitting 18 |
Completed on Friday, October 3, 2025 End of stage activity Second reading and referral to committee, Friday, October 3, 2025
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Friday, September 26, 2025 | Sitting 30 Major speeches |
| Friday, October 3, 2025 | Sitting 33 Agreed to (Journals 33) |
#### Consideration in committee
Completed on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 End of stage activity Committee report presented with amendments, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 Committee report Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security Study details
Committee meetings
| Meeting date | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | Meeting 9 |
| Thursday, October 30, 2025 | Meeting 10 |
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 | Meeting 12 |
| Thursday, December 4, 2025 | Meeting 18 |
| Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | Meeting 20 |
| Tuesday, February 3, 2026 | Meeting 21 |
| Thursday, February 5, 2026 | Meeting 22 |
| Tuesday, February 10, 2026 | Meeting 23 |
| Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | Meeting 25 |
| Thursday, February 26, 2026 | Meeting 26 |
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | Sitting 94 |
Completed on Thursday, March 26, 2026 End of stage activity Concurrence at report stage, Thursday, March 26, 2026
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Sitting 100 |
Completed on Thursday, March 26, 2026 End of stage activity Third reading, Thursday, March 26, 2026
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Sitting 100 Agreed to (Journals 100) |
Completed on Thursday, March 26, 2026 End of stage activity First reading, Thursday, March 26, 2026
Chamber sittings
| Sitting date | Debates (Hansard) |
|---|---|
| Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Sitting 61 |
Second reading No activity Third reading Not reached
Recorded votes
House of Commons
There are currently no recorded votes for this bill.
Senate
To view the complete list of standing votes that have taken place in the Senate, please refer to the Votes page of the Senate of Canada website.
Speaker's rulings and statements
There are currently no Speaker's rulings and statements.
Major speeches at second reading
House of Commons
| Speech date | Speech | Member of Parliament |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, September 26, 2025 | Sponsor’s speech (Sitting 30) | Gary Anandasangaree (Liberal) |
| Friday, September 26, 2025 | Response speech (Sitting 30) | Frank Caputo (Conservative) |
| Friday, September 26, 2025 | Response speech (Sitting 30) | Claude DeBellefeuille (Bloc Québécois) |
Legislative summary
A legislative summary of this bill is available from the Library of Parliament.
Similar bills
No similar bills were introduced during previous sessions or Parliaments
Departmental information
Background information
From the Library of Parliament
Search research publications The Library of Parliament’s research publications provide non-partisan, reliable and timely information and analysis on current and emerging issues, legislation and major public policy topics.
Further reading
Privacy commissioner calls for more oversight of cabinet powers under new national security bill [C-8].
Karunjit Singh.
Law360 Canada Colin Guldimann and Naomi Powell, “Back from the Grave: Bill C-8 Revives Comprehensive Cybersecurity Law,” McMillan, 3 July 2025. Molly Reynolds et al., “Government re-introduces cybersecurity bill for “vital” federal industries,” Torys, 26 June 2025. Sunny Handa et al., “House of Commons Re-Introduces Federal Cybersecurity Legislation,” Blake, Cassels & Graydon, 23 June 2025. Some publications are only available in English or French. Export as: JSON XML For more data options, please see Open Data
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