Royal Assent for Cybersecurity and Criminal Law Acts

Summary#

This Canada Gazette entry reports a House of Commons notice about private bills and records that three bills received Royal Assent on June 15, 2026. The listed bills are now Acts in name: An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures), and An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing).

What it does#

• Publishes a reminder about Standing Order 130 (rules on notices for intended private-bill applications). The Gazette notes the prior publication date of that notice as May 24, 2025 and gives contact details for the Private Members’ Business Office.
• Records that, on June 15, 2026, assent was signified by written declaration under the Royal Assent Act. The entry lists three bills that were declared assented to:
  • An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts (Bill C-8, chapter 9, 2026)
  • An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures) (Bill S-228, chapter 10, 2026)
  • An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing) (Bill C-14, chapter 11, 2026)
• The Gazette also records that both the Senate and the House of Commons were notified of the written declaration on June 15, 2026.

Who's affected#

• An Act respecting cyber security, amending the Telecommunications Act and making consequential amendments to other Acts
  • Likely of interest to telecommunications companies, internet service providers, businesses that operate networks, and people concerned about digital and infrastructure security. The Gazette notice does not give details of the specific changes.
• An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures)
  • Likely affects people and institutions involved in criminal law and health-care or consent matters where sterilization is relevant. The notice names the Act but does not set out its contents.
• An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing)
  • Likely affects people in the criminal-justice system, young people subject to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and members of the armed forces under the National Defence Act. The Gazette item does not describe the exact legal changes.
• People or organizations thinking about private bills may note the reference to Standing Order 130 and the Private Members’ Business Office contact details.

Why it matters#

• Royal Assent is the formal step that lets a bill become an Act. That means these measures have cleared the parliamentary process; whether and when their rules actually start to apply can depend on each Act’s own “coming into force” details, which are not set out in this Gazette notice.
• The topics touched by the three Acts — cybersecurity and telecommunications, sterilization-related criminal rules, and bail/sentencing across civilian, youth and military law — could lead to practical changes for service providers, health and legal professionals, people accused or convicted of crimes, youth involved in the justice system, and members of the military. The Gazette entry itself does not provide the texts or operational details of the new laws.