Saskatchewan Telecommunications is the only government-owned company in the Canadian telecommunications market and it is owned by the province of the same name. According to its statutes, foreign direct investment is not allowed in this company.

Telecommunication carriers, including internet service providers that own and operate transmission facilities, are subject to foreign investment restrictions if they hold a 10% or greater share of total Canadian communication annual market revenues, as mandated by the Telecommunications Act. According to Art. 16 of the Act, a Canadian carrier is eligible to operate as a telecommunications common carrier if it is incorporated, organised, or continued under Canadian or provincial laws and is Canadian-owned and controlled, operates only a specified transmission facility, or generates less than 10% of its annual revenue from telecommunications services in Canada. To qualify as Canadian-owned and controlled, Canadians must own at least 80% of the voting interests, and the entity must not be controlled by non-Canadians.

The Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation, commonly known as SaskTel, is a Canadian Crown corporation based in Saskatchewan. Owned by the provincial government, SaskTel offers a range of telecommunications services, including wireline and wireless communications. Its services encompass landline telephone, mobile networks, broadband internet (such as copper DSL, fibre to the home, and wireless broadband), IPTV, and security solutions.

It is reported that Canada does not mandate functional or accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

Canada has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

According to the Broadcasting Act, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

Canada has joined agreements with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP, Art. 14.11), the United States - Mexico - Canada Agreement (Art. 19.11) and the Canada - Ukraine Modernized Free Trade Agreement (Art. 8.10).

Canada has a mosaic of federal laws forming its legal framework for citizens' data protection. The Privacy Act regulates how the federal government handles personal information, while the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) covers how businesses handle personal information. Other federal laws target specific information, such as the Bank Act of 1871, while provincial laws contain provisions for confidentiality tied to credit unions and credit reporting.

Pursuant to Art. 25.2 of the Investment Canada Act (ICA), where the Minister has reasonable grounds to believe that a foreign investment may be injurious to national security, a notice may be issued to the foreign investor indicating that the investment is subject to review. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, in consultation with the Minister of Public Safety, is responsible for conducting the review and coordinating with relevant investigative bodies.
If investors are notified that their proposed investment is considered potentially injurious to national security, the Minister must decide within 45 days whether to refer the investment for an extended national security review. In accordance with the National Security Review of Investments Regulations, the review period for notified transactions may last up to 45 days and can be extended once for an additional 45 days, if necessary.
Following the completion of the process, and in accordance with Art. 25.4 of the ICA, the investment may be (i) prohibited, (ii) permitted subject to conditions imposed by the Governor in Council, or (iii) if already implemented, made subject to a divestiture order.
The Guideline on the National Security Review outlines factors considered in the review, including sensitive technologies, critical minerals, critical infrastructure, sensitive personal data, and investments involving state-owned or state-influenced entities. However, the authorities reportedly note that the listed factors are illustrative and not exhaustive.

Canada is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Canada has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows fair dealing, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Art. 29 of the Copyright Act, as amended by the Copyright Modernization Act, establishes exceptions to copyright for news reporting, criticism, or comment. An intermediary is exempt from copyright infringement if the work is used for research, private study, education, parody, or satire.

There is ongoing concern regarding the limited effectiveness of online copyright enforcement in Canada, particularly in light of persistent and diverse forms of infringement. These include stream-ripping services that impact legitimate music streaming platforms, unauthorised subscription-based IPTV and video-on-demand (VOD) services, as well as streaming sites offering illicit access to films and television content. Infringing devices and applications—available both online and through physical retailers—continue to undermine demand for authorised digital content, including for VOD services and video games. The sale and distribution of tools intended to circumvent access controls on gaming consoles further exacerbate the issue.
In addition, certain Canadian-based service providers have been linked to upstream piracy operations, including the unauthorised redistribution of telecommunication signals to secondary piracy platforms. Although some progress has been made in addressing Canada’s prior reputation as a permissive environment for online infringement, enforcement remains limited. Insufficient resource allocation and limited strategic prioritisation by government authorities continue to pose challenges to effective copyright enforcement. Furthermore, market access barriers remain a concern for foreign content producers and distributors operating in the Canadian audiovisual sector.

Canada has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Canada has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

In February 2023, Canada banned TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices, citing an "unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security" associated with the Chinese-owned app. The decision followed a review by the Chief Information Officer of Canada and aligned with similar actions taken by the European Union and the United States. In response, TikTok expressed disappointment, stating that the ban was implemented without citing specific security concerns or consulting the company.