In practical terms, if a GOC department uploads data to a cloud environment (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS, or a private data centre), that data cannot later be migrated or stored exclusively on servers located outside of Canada—even temporarily. It can “check out” of active use, but its physical storage location must remain within Canadian territory.
For government data, this is not a lyric—it is a legally binding directive. The “Hotel California” Ban is not a single law, but a shorthand for the combined effect of several federal policies that prohibit the removal of sensitive government data from Canadian physical borders once it has been entrusted to a cloud service provider or internal system. hotel california ban goc
In the world of information technology and cloud computing, the Government of Canada (GOC) operates under some of the strictest security and data sovereignty laws in the world. Among IT professionals and vendors working with Canadian public sector entities, a specific colloquialism has emerged: The “Hotel California” Ban. In practical terms, if a GOC department uploads