Promised for years, the bill will
be tabled this fall
(Ottawa) Justin Trudeau's Liberals will introduce their long-promised bill to crack down on harmful content online no later than next fall, more than a year after receiving recommendations from an expert panel.
"It won't be further than the fall," the minister responsible for the file, Pablo Rodriguez, said Monday during testimony before the House of Commons heritage committee.
In response to a question from New Democrat Peter Julian, Rodriguez said he could not provide a more specific timeline. He noted, however, that Ottawa is "very advanced" and that it is for "very, very soon."
Last July, a panel of experts convened by the federal government to advise it on the development of its bill released the latest summary of its work, concluding its mandate. In total, these experts met for 10 workshops during which they made recommendations.
Asked in a media scrum why so much time has passed without a bill seeing the light of day, Rodriguez said it is because of the "importance" of the initiative and "the diversity of opinions."
"I am looking for a bill that will bring people together, that will reassure, but that will also do the job," he summarized when arriving at the Parliament building, ensuring that the legislative piece will have teeth.
He mentioned that "that time" was used for cross-country consultations, particularly to meet with victims and their families, such as the mother of Amanda Todd, the British Columbia teenager who took her own life after being sextorned.
Moreover, the experts recommended to the government that digital platforms be required to remove with timelines any content "that explicitly calls for violence and sexual exploitation of children".
Rodriguez has always agreed with this recommendation, but it is not clear at this time how Ottawa will deal with other types of content that may be considered harmful or hateful. Some experts have warned against obligations to remove content that is not about children.
During Minister Rodriguez's appearance in committee, Mr. Julian seemed to show signs of impatience with the absence of a bill, mentioning that action is desired by many on other issues, such as the reform of the Copyright Act. "Is there anything else we expect in the fall? CBC funding, online hate and this? " he listed.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage then noted that the reform of the Copyright Act is an issue that also concerns the Department of Innovation and that he is not in a position to provide a timeline in this regard.
As for harmful content online, the Liberals have been promising to legislate this issue for well over a year. Shortly before the last general election was called, in 2021, they introduced Bill C-36, which aimed to give tools to citizens who are victims of online hate. The initiative led by Justice Minister David Lametti immediately died on the Order Paper and was to be accompanied by another bill that was to be under the responsibility of Steven Guilbeault, then Minister of Heritage.
This second piece of legislation was not tabled before the election campaign. However, a legislative and regulatory framework had been presented and submitted for consultation. The latter targeted five categories of content: hate speech, incitement to violence, terrorism, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and sexual exploitation of children.
"It won't be further than the fall," the minister responsible for the file, Pablo Rodriguez, said Monday during testimony before the House of Commons heritage committee.
In response to a question from New Democrat Peter Julian, Rodriguez said he could not provide a more specific timeline. He noted, however, that Ottawa is "very advanced" and that it is for "very, very soon."
Last July, a panel of experts convened by the federal government to advise it on the development of its bill released the latest summary of its work, concluding its mandate. In total, these experts met for 10 workshops during which they made recommendations.
Asked in a media scrum why so much time has passed without a bill seeing the light of day, Rodriguez said it is because of the "importance" of the initiative and "the diversity of opinions."
"I am looking for a bill that will bring people together, that will reassure, but that will also do the job," he summarized when arriving at the Parliament building, ensuring that the legislative piece will have teeth.
He mentioned that "that time" was used for cross-country consultations, particularly to meet with victims and their families, such as the mother of Amanda Todd, the British Columbia teenager who took her own life after being sextorned.
Moreover, the experts recommended to the government that digital platforms be required to remove with timelines any content "that explicitly calls for violence and sexual exploitation of children".
Rodriguez has always agreed with this recommendation, but it is not clear at this time how Ottawa will deal with other types of content that may be considered harmful or hateful. Some experts have warned against obligations to remove content that is not about children.
During Minister Rodriguez's appearance in committee, Mr. Julian seemed to show signs of impatience with the absence of a bill, mentioning that action is desired by many on other issues, such as the reform of the Copyright Act. "Is there anything else we expect in the fall? CBC funding, online hate and this? " he listed.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage then noted that the reform of the Copyright Act is an issue that also concerns the Department of Innovation and that he is not in a position to provide a timeline in this regard.
As for harmful content online, the Liberals have been promising to legislate this issue for well over a year. Shortly before the last general election was called, in 2021, they introduced Bill C-36, which aimed to give tools to citizens who are victims of online hate. The initiative led by Justice Minister David Lametti immediately died on the Order Paper and was to be accompanied by another bill that was to be under the responsibility of Steven Guilbeault, then Minister of Heritage.
This second piece of legislation was not tabled before the election campaign. However, a legislative and regulatory framework had been presented and submitted for consultation. The latter targeted five categories of content: hate speech, incitement to violence, terrorism, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and sexual exploitation of children.
