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Canadian law enforcement officials have never been hindered by having to abide by the country’s current privacy laws, say documents revealed Wednesday, yet Ottawa remains adamant police need more online surveillance powers.

Vancouver-based advocacy group OpenMedia.ca published details of an internal Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) email message to the group’s membership representing more than 90% of the country’s police community. The message, OpenMedia says, asks members to provide examples, even those with “confidential operational information,” of investigations thwarted by Canada’s privacy legislation.

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The goal of the alleged call for case studies would appear to be in hopes of justifying the federal government’s proposed lawful access legislation. Originally included as part of the omnibus crime bill Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed to pass if elected while campaigning last spring, the law would expand police powers to demand personal customer data from Internet Service Providers, who would in turn be required to make costly investments in surveillance technology.Ottawa plans to reintroduce the legislation soon, following multiple unsuccessful attempts made over the past decade. The proposed laws — C-50, C-51 and C-52 — have garnered widespread opposition from Members of Parliament, federal and provincial privacy commissioners as well as leading academics.