It has been reported that the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) imposes quotas that determine both the minimum Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) and the minimum amount of Canadian programming that licensed Canadian broadcasters must carry (Exhibition Quota). Regarding the latter, the current primetime (6-11pm) Exhibition Quota rests at 50 percent Canadian content.
For cable television and direct-to-home broadcast services, more than 50% of the channels received by subscribers must be Canadian channels. Non-Canadian channels must be pre-approved (“listed”) by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Upon an appeal from a Canadian licensee, the CRTC may determine that a non-Canadian channel competes with a Canadian pay or specialty service, in which case the CRTC may either remove the non-Canadian channel from the list (thereby revoking approval to supply the service) or shift the channel into a less competitive location on the channel dial. Alternatively, non-Canadian channels can become Canadian by ceding majority equity control to a Canadian partner, as some U.S. channels have done.
The CRTC also requires that 35 percent of popular musical selections broadcast on the radio qualify as “Canadian” under a Canadian Government-determined point system.
The CRTC’s Wholesale Code entered into force in January 2016 and governs certain commercial arrangements between distributors (e.g., cable companies) and programmers (e.g., channel owners). The Code is binding for vertically integrated suppliers in Canada (i.e., suppliers that own infrastructure and programming) and applies as guidelines to foreign programming suppliers (who by definition cannot be vertically integrated, as foreign suppliers are prohibited from owning video distribution infrastructure in Canada).

As has been reported, the federal Broadcasting Act provides that broadcasting licences may not be issued to non-Canadians or to companies that are effectively owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by non-Canadians. It is not clear if this applies to online companies.

The Copyright Modernization Act establishes a safe harbour regime beyond intermediaries for copyright infringements. According to Section 31.1(1), internet service providers (ISPs), provided that they are content-neutral, cannot be held liable for providing any means for Internet access.

An organisation must make publicly available the name (or title) and the address of the person who is accountable for the organisation’s privacy policies and practices and to whom complaints or inquiries can be forwarded, based upon the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Canada's signal intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), does not have explicit powers to demand disclosure of personal information under the Communications Security Establishment Act. However, the Minister of National Defence can issue an authorisation to the CSE permitting it to "gain access to a portion of the global information infrastructure" to carry out any activity authorised in the furtherance of the active cyber operations aspect of its mandate (Sections 30 and 31). This authorisation could include a demand for access to personal information held by an organisation. Authorisations are time-limited, must have the consent of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and be based on reasonable grounds to believe that the objective of the cyber operation could not be reasonably achieved by other means (Sections 33(4) and 34(4)).

The Copyright Modernization Act establishes a safe harbour regime for intermediaries for copyright infringements. According to Section 31.1(1), internet service providers (ISPs), provided that they are content-neutral, cannot be held liable for providing any means for Internet access.

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), and the United States - Mexico - Canada Agreement (Art. 19.11).

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 the confidentiality tied to credit unions and credit reporting.

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.

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.

It is reported that passive sharing of infrastructure in the telecom market is not mandated, but it is practiced in the fixed sector (to a lesser extent than in the mobile sector, based on commercial agreements) and in the mobile sector (based on commercial agreements and based on a regulatory mandate).

According to the Telecommunications Act of 1993, Canada maintains a 46.7% limit on foreign ownership of certain existing suppliers of facilities-based telecommunication services, including the cable television industry, a major competitor for Internet access services. In 2012, Canada made a small change to this regime by allowing foreign investment of more than 46.7% in suppliers with less than 10% market share, per section 16 of the Act.

Saskatchewan Telecommunications is the only government-owned company in the Canadian telecommunications market. The company is 100% owned and controlled by Her Majesty the Queen in the Right of the Province of Saskatchewan as per Section 5 of the Saskatchewan Telecommunications Act. According to its statutes, foreign direct investment is not allowed in this company.

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