(Ottawa) Canada’s Justice Minister says he is open to changing the law aimed at protecting Canadians from online harm, while Conservatives say the government could instead act more quickly by modernizing existing laws.
Justice Minister Arif Virani delivered his first major defense of the Online Harms Bill in the House of Commons on Friday since he tabled it in February.
Since then, legal and privacy experts, as well as civil society advocates, have voiced concerns for freedom of expression by proposing tougher penalties in the Criminal Code for hate-related offenses .
Mr Virani says companies will have to submit security plans to a new digital safety commission to explain how they will reduce the risk of exposing users to seven different types of harmful content.
This commission would handle complaints and be able to impose heavy fines.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer to analyze how much this new law could cost and accused the government of creating an “onerous” process rather than updating existing laws and regulations.
The bill wants to force social media companies to reduce users’ exposure to dangerous and harmful online content through the creation of a new regulatory body, which would operate under a digital safety office wider.
The bill also establishes a new way for Canadians to file human rights complaints regarding hate speech.
Mme Rempel Garner called the bill “completely flawed” and said it “should be scrapped.”