The Trudeau Liberals have tabled their “online harms” bill after years of stalled negotiations and failed legislative bids.
Bill C-63 proposes added protections for Canadian users, who are “exposed to harmful content at increasing rates,” according to a government briefing.
“Canadians want action; users and victims need better tools to have a safer online experience,” it reads, with particular emphasis on protecting children from sexual exploitation.
The legislation also seeks to “better address and denounce hate propaganda” and provide recourse to victims of hate. It proposes amendments to the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act.
According to the new legislation, victims of hate speech could be compensated up to $20,000, and a new stand-alone hate crime offense would be added to the criminal code allowing for penalties of up to life imprisonment.
Three new bureaucracies will be created as part of the new criminal code laws and new human rights code provisions, including a digital safety commission, a digital safety ombudsman and a digital safety office.
Cabinet in June 2021 introduced Bill C-36, An Act To Amend The Criminal Code, that proposed $70,000 fines for legal content deemed “likely to foment detestation or vilification.” Among the categories of harm identified by Parliament then included ‘hate speech’ and terrorist content.
A Technical Paper and Discussion Paper published the following month pondered a Digital Safety Commissioner to investigate anonymous complaints, conduct closed-door hearings and block websites, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.
However, Bill C-36 died on the order paper when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a snap election that August. He pledged new legislation within 100 days of his new mandate, but that promise fell through.
On February 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau renewed that promise in response to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh during Question Period. Bill C-11 received Royal Assent last April 27, but remained boggled down by public consultations.
This is a developing story.
