OTTAWA, April 7 (UPI) -- The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is calling for the federal government to update 1970s-era laws covering wiretapping.
The renewed call came after the Supreme Court of Canada threw out an appeal by Telus Mobility seeking compensation for digging up customer information for police in 2004.
Clayton Pecknold, co-chairman of the CACP's law amendments committee told the Ottawa Citizen the ruling opens the door for the government to update its laws on wiretapping, several elements of which date back 30 years and predate the Internet and wireless communications.
He said the court ruling also tells legislators the right to corporate compensation must be spelled out in the law, the Citizen said.
"It reiterates the principle that every citizen -- corporate or otherwise -- has a responsibility to cooperate with the state in matters of public safety," he said.
The cost of assisting police has been a longstanding issue among such national major telecommunications companies as Telus, Rogers, Shaw and their professional associations, the report said.
