Opposition Conservatives Urged to Strongly Oppose the Online Harms Act by David Krayden
Commentary
Upon the introduction of the Online Harms Act by Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani, also known as Bill C-63, on Feb. 26, the expectation was for this legislation to be the primary focus of the first question during the next day’s House of Commons question period.
However, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has remained largely silent on the matter. He issued a vague statement the following day, avoiding direct mention of the bill while emphasizing opposition to redundant bureaucracy and support for punishing those exploiting children or women through the justice system.
A “digital safety ombudsperson,” referred to as the online censorship czar, would act as a liaison between this new government entity and the public.
Similar laws bearing the same names have been enacted in Britain and Australia, with the European Union following suit. However, criticisms from concerned journalists like myself seem to have made an impact on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Virani, leading to a significant revision of the bill’s approach with a focus on targeting child pornographers and removing “hate propaganda offenses” from the internet.
