Before pausing his campaign amid renewed controversy over his ties to China, Liberal Leader Mark Carney hinted that the Liberals may not be finished with online censorship legislation.
Speaking at a rally in Hamilton, Ont. on Thursday, Carney addressed a recently announced series of measures.
Many of the measures are already enshrined in Canadian law, but one new proposal would introduce legislation aimed at protecting children from online exploitation and sextortion.
“One of (the measures) is with respect to really just the sea of misogyny, anti-semitism, hatred, conspiracy theories, this sort of pollution that’s online that washes over our virtual border from the United States,” said Carney at the rally. “The more serious thing is when it affects how people behave — when Canadians are threatened going to their community centres or their places of worship or their school or, God forbid, when it affects our children.”
The pledge comes despite the failure of two previous Liberal attempts, Bill C-36 and Bill C-63, to legislate internet regulation. Both bills died on the Order Paper before becoming law, with Bill C-36 lapsing ahead of the 2021 federal election and Bill C-63 halted due to the 2025 prorogation of Parliament.
He pledged to take action on “American giants” if elected prime minister following the federal election on April 28.
The Liberals previously introduced the Online News Act, which led to Meta—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—blocking Canadian news in response to the bill. To this day, the block remains in place.
The CEO of Gonez Media Inc., Brandon Gonez, previously warned that the Online News Act, formerly Bill C-18, was terrible for smaller news companies, with some seeing more than 40 per cent revenue losses.
Before proroguing Parliament to conduct their party leadership race, the Liberals caved to demands to split up the Online Harms Act. The sections of the bill dealing with child pornography and child sexual exploitation were set to proceed as their own bill. The provisions dealing with hate crimes and online speech would be their own bill as well. Splitting the bill did not stop civil liberties advocates from raising the alarm.
Critics, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, warned the bill would allow government-appointed officials to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
“The bill provides for unacceptable intrusions into individuals’ digital lives,” said Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, Executive Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
The proposed amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act from the latter bill would allow anyone to file complaints about people posting “hate speech”. Those found guilty could face fines of up to $70,000.
The bill would also create a new hate law based on motivation, accompanied by increased sentences of up to life imprisonment. There were also penalties for those found to be reasonably expected to post “hateful” content in the future.
Author Margaret Atwood compared Bill C-63 to “Lettres de Cachet,” warning of “thoughtcrime” and abuse of power reminiscent of Orwell’s 1984.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vowed to repeal the bill if passed, warning it gives the government unchecked power to silence dissent.
“What does Justin Trudeau mean when he says the words hate speech?” Poilievre previously asked when answering a question posed by Andrew Lawton last year. “He means speech he hates.”