The federal government’s latest attempt to regulate online content would task a new commission with determining what material should be removed from social media, as Heritage Minister Marc Miller acknowledged officials will be navigating a “very fine line” between legitimate and illegitimate discussion.

“There needs to be a space online for discussion,” Miller told reporters, according to reporting by Blacklock’s Reporter. “What constitutes legitimate and illegitimate discussion is a very fine line that has a lot of views from people, particularly around very important things like freedom of expression.”

Bill C-34, the Digital Safety Act, was introduced June 10 but has yet to reach Second Reading in the House of Commons.

The legislation proposes creating a cabinet-appointed Digital Safety Commission with authority over platforms including Facebook, X and Snapchat. The commission could order platforms to remove specified categories of harmful content.

The proposed categories include material that “foment[s] hatred” and content advocating politically, religiously or ideologically motivated property damage intended to undermine or weaken political, economic or social stability.

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Miller said the government wants platforms to prevent harm before it occurs, rather than relying exclusively on complaints after content has been posted.

Asked whether enforcement would be complaint-driven, Miller suggested the regime could go further.

“That could be complaint-driven, but when it comes to things like online gambling, misinformation, disinformation, to make it safe by design,” he said.

The minister was less definitive when asked whether Reddit forums would fall under the legislation, saying such services “may or may not be caught.”

The bill marks Ottawa's third major attempt in five years to enact legislation regulating harmful online content. Bill C-36 died when Parliament was dissolved in 2021, while the previous government's Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, also failed to become law.

Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled during the 2025 election campaign that his government would revisit online regulation, describing misogyny, antisemitism, hatred and conspiracy theories on the internet as “pollution” that washes across Canada's “virtual borders” from the United States.

Miller maintains the legislation is intended particularly to protect children and people targeted by extreme hatred and terrorism.

Canada already prohibits certain forms of hate propaganda under the Criminal Code. The new legislation would instead establish a regulatory system governing online platforms and harmful content before it necessarily reaches the threshold of a criminal offence.