Advocates Push to Distinguish Controversial Criminal Code Changes from Online Harms Act
Over 15 civil society groups are advocating for the justice minister to separate proposed changes to the Criminal Code and Human Rights Act from a bill intended to address online harms.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council were among those who signed an open letter on May 7.
They express concerns that including these provisions in the Online Harms Act could overshadow its primary objective of holding social media platforms accountable for safeguarding users from harmful online content.
The proposed legislation aims to establish a new digital safety regulator and incorporates amendments to the Criminal Code to introduce tougher penalties for hate-related offenses.
This has faced significant scrutiny, along with the government’s proposal to reintroduce a section of the Canadian Human Rights Act allowing individuals to lodge complaints about online hate speech.
Critics argue that this move could suppress free speech, though Justice Department officials assert that only the most egregious instances of hate speech would be targeted.
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The letter requests Justice Minister Arif Virani to exclude the justice and human rights section from the bill and develop a separate piece of legislation.
