OTTAWA -- Virtual private network service NordVPN warned on Friday it could pull out of Canada over the federal government’s proposed lawful access bill.
NordVPN said in a social media post it is reviewing the bill and would consider leaving Canada if the bill requires it to compromise its privacy protections.
The company said if Bill C-22 passes “and if we are subjected to mandatory obligations, there isn’t a scenario in which we would compromise our no-logs architecture or encryption protections.”
“To prevent this, we will consider all viable options, including limiting or, if necessary, removing our presence from Canadian jurisdiction,” NordVPN said in a post on X.
A spokesperson for the company said it is closely monitoring the bill’s legislative progress. Bill C-22 is currently being studied by a parliamentary committee.
“NordVPN is built on a commitment to user security and privacy, and we believe legislation should not require providers to weaken encryption or compromise the protections users depend on,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail reported that the encrypted messaging service Signal said it would leave Canada if the bill requires it to compromise user privacy.
Conservative MP Jacob Mantle said in a post on X Friday that MPs depend on the service.
“Every member of Parliament in the country uses Signal, precisely because they believe it is safe (confidential) to use. No one wants Gary reading their messages,” he said.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement the government wants to “reassure Signal and all service providers that we are not legislating to require them to install capabilities to enable surveillance and any assertions otherwise are false.”
Canadian VPN provider Windscribe said Thursday it also would leave the country if the bill passes.
“Signal isn’t headquartered in Canada so they can just shut off Canadian servers, but our HQ is,” the company said in a post on X.
“We pay an ungodly amount of taxes to this corrupt government, and in return they want to destroy the entire essence of our service to basically spy on its own citizens. Not happening. We’ll move HQ and take our taxes elsewhere.”
The comments from Signal follow warnings from big tech companies Apple and Meta that the legislation threatens to compromise their encryption services.
Last week, the lawful access bill also drew opposition from members of the U.S. Congress.
“Canada’s Bill C-22, currently under consideration in Parliament, would drastically expand Canada’s surveillance and data access powers in ways that create significant cross-border risks to the security and data privacy of Americans,” the heads of the judiciary and foreign affairs committees said in a joint letter to Anandasangaree.
The spokesperson for the public safety minister said the letter reflects a misunderstanding of how the bill would function.
Bill C-22 also has run into fierce opposition from civil liberties groups and law professors who say it would open the door to serious privacy infringements.
The government says the bill will ensure law enforcement agencies have the legal tools to prevent, investigate and respond to modern crime and protect Canadians in a Charter-compliant manner.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.
With files from Jim Bronskill
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
