Canada: Government Proposes Bill S-8 to Restrict Cash Payments of 10,000 Dollars or More and Allow Lawful Police Searches of Mail
Canada's government has introduced legislation that would restrict cash payments of C$10,000 or more, tighten oversight of money-service businesses and cryptocurrency cash machines, and allow police to search mail when they have authority under existing federal criminal or drug laws. The proposals are not yet law.
Bill S-8, formally the Combatting Financial Crimes and Drug Trafficking Act, was introduced in the Senate on November 3, 2026. Parliament's official bill tracker records first reading that day and lists the measure at second reading in the Senate, with no House of Commons stage completed; the Senate's November 4 order paper placed second reading on its November 5 business list, though being listed for debate does not mean it has passed. The Finance Department says the bill would restrict large cash transactions at or above C$10,000 and third-party cash deposits, in which one person deposits cash into another person's account.
A separate provision would amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to permit police to search or seize mail when they already have lawful authority under the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or the Cannabis Act. The legislation arrives days after Canada's auditor general reported weaknesses in FINTRAC's timeliness and supervision, including an average response time of almost four months for some financial-intelligence requests. Until enactment, the new restrictions and powers remain proposals.
Source: 加拿大财政部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：加拿大邮政的投递卡车（资料图），Joey Coleman 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权 / Photo: A Canada Post delivery truck (file photo), by Joey Coleman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
