Currently, communications firms can request a court-authorised warrant before releasing any information on their customers.

However, under the legislation introduced this week, law enforcement and intelligence officials would be able to access a service user's name, address, telephone number and IP address. ISPs and telecoms firms would also be obliged to remove technological safeguards which prevent the security services from accessing messages and conversations.

Although the move is likely to be greeted with dismay by Canadian privacy advocates, reports in the national media have suggested that the forthcoming general election is expected to kill the issue in the House of Commons, in the short term at least.