(Ottawa) The new institutions responsible for ensuring online security that Justin Trudeau’s government is promising to put in place will cost $201 million over five years, estimates the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
This cost could be lower considering the money from financial penalties that could be collected, specifies DPB Yves Giroux in a report published Thursday.
“Few details are available on the cost recovery mechanism, which could offset some or all of the costs related to the Commission, the Ombudsman and the Digital Security Office, which have not yet been made public by the government,” he wrote, listing the new institutions the Liberals plan to put in place.
These entities will be created if Bill C-63, aimed at combating online hate, is adopted.
Mr. Giroux based his estimates in particular on the personnel needs anticipated by Ottawa, more specifically the Department of Heritage. The latter estimates that it will need 330 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
“The projection assumes that the Commission, Ombudsman and Office’s per FTE expenditures will be comparable to those of other medium-sized government agencies,” the report says. “However, they could be higher if the Commission, Ombudsman or Office decide to rely on external services to a significant extent.” […] once they have reached their full capacity.”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who asked the PBO to conduct the analysis released Thursday, wrote in a blog post that “the opportunity cost of Bill C-63 alone should be enough to send it to the shredding pile.” She clearly sees it as a “bureaucratic” initiative.
The bill, introduced last winter by Justice Minister Arif Virani, would require social networks and websites that offer adult content for download to report on what they are doing to reduce their users’ exposure to harmful content.
Online harms as defined by Ottawa cover non-consensual sharing of intimate images and the sexual exploitation of children, but also hate speech, incitement to violence and terrorism.
Reports could also be made by the public and platforms would be forced to remove content within 24 hours in cases of non-consensual sharing of intimate images as well as sexual exploitation.
Private or encrypted messages are excluded from C-63.
The Liberals have been promising to legislate against harmful online content since the 2019 federal election campaign.
Bill C-63 has barely made it through parliament since it was tabled. Mr. Virani blames the Conservatives, whom he accuses of blocking the progress of the legislative study.
On this subject, a spokesperson for the Conservative leader recently declared that the agreement that the Liberals have with the New Democrats allows them to prioritize or thwart any legislation as they wish, “contrary to their whining.”
The Bloc Québécois requested in vain that the bill be split so that the sections of the legislative proposal aimed at protecting minors from online sexual exploitation could be adopted quickly since, according to the political party, these elements are a consensus, unlike elements relating to hateful publications.
Poilievre would repeal the law
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged Thursday to repeal the Liberal Online Harms Act if it became law.
If the law passes, “a common-sense Conservative government of Pierre Poilievre will repeal it,” his spokesman Sebastian Skamski said in a statement.
The party also sent an email to supporters asking them to help Poilievre defeat what it calls the “three-headed monster” — or a trio of Liberal bills aimed at regulating tech giants.
Common sense conservatives oppose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s three-headed censorship monster and new $200 million bureaucracy.
Sebastian Skamski, spokesperson for Pierre Poilievre
Mr Virani’s office said in a statement that Pierre Poilievre “put ideology before investing in the safety of our children”.
NDP House Leader Peter Julian wrote in a statement Thursday that children are being victimized online by harms such as extortion and bullying.
“Children are committing suicide because they have been victims of online sexual extortion or because they have faced other forms of harm online. And Pierre Poilievre does not want to stop that.”
With reporting from Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press