The federal government has scrapped a law that police used to make mass arrests during the tumultuous G20 summit in Toronto in 2010.
The Public Works Protection Act was designed to protect electrical facilities from saboteurs in the 1940s.
Police used it during the G20 summit to “kettle” or detain large groups of protesters. About 1,100 people were arrested.
A new bill that enhances security at courthouses, electrical generating stations and nuclear power plants was given final reading on Thursday.
Ottawa says the new law will protect critical infrastructure in a way that respects civil liberties. However, it will be up to local police to decide if they will demand identification from people wanting to enter a public courthouse.
The change came after Ombudsman André Marin concluded the Public Works Protection Act gave police “extravagant authority.”
He added that police made matters worse by misrepresenting the reach of their extraordinary powers during the G20.
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