From RCMP Web Site: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/
Late last year, Allan Rock, minister of justice, introduced a bill containing nearly 150 proposed amendments to the Criminal Code and related statutes. Highlights of Bill C-17 include several changes to address computer crime, credit card forgery and fraud and fraudulently obtaining services. The RCMP, supported strongly by the Canadian Bankers Association and the Canadian issuers of Visa and MasterCard, had previously urged a number of changes to offences dealing with credit card fraud and computer-assisted crimes. Bill C-17 is presently before Parliament and is in the second reading stage. The following legislative proposals will be of interest to law enforcement agencies and to our private and public sector partners engaged in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of technological crime: Expanding section 183 of the Criminal Code to include new offences for which an authorization to intercept private communication could be granted. The new offences would include, inter alia, section 327, section 342, section 342.1, section 342.2, and section 430 of the Criminal Code. Amending section 342 to make possession, use, or trafficking of forged credit cards an offence. Amending section 342 to make the misuse of credit card data an offence. Amending section 342 to make it an offence to make, buy or sell, export or import, or possess equipment intended for use in forging credit cards. Amending section 342.1 to make it an offence to use, possess, or traffick in computer passwords that would enable another person to fraudulently obtain a computer service. Creating section 342.2 to make it an offence to make, possess, sell, offer for sale, or distribute any instrument or device that is intended to be used to fraudulently obtain a computer service. Amending section 487 to impose a duty on the person in possession or control of a computer system to provide data in the form of a print-out or other intelligible output when a lawful search of such a facility is being conducted. Technological Crime Section is optimistic that the proposed amendments, once passed into law, will significantly aid its efforts in dealing with this rapidly emerging and sometimes very troublesome genre of crimes. For further information and updates on the progress of this bill, readers are encouraged to consult the Department of Justice Homepage at: http://canada.justice.gc.ca.