Trudeau Liberals continue free speech attack despite Online Harms Bill split
Justice Minister Arif Virani announced on Wednesday that the Online Harms Bill will now be split into two parts, one focusing on child safety and the other on 'hate speech.'
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On last night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, The Democracy Fund's Senior Litigator Mark Joseph discussed the Liberal government's changes to the Online Harms Bill and what this could mean for freedom of expression.
After significant backlash from free speech advocates and a deadlock in Parliament, Justice Minister Arif Virani declared on Wednesday that the Online Harms Bill will be split into two parts.
The focus of the first bill, he claims, will be on protecting children from online exploitation and sexual predators. The second bill, Virani says, will focus on policing 'online hate.'
Arif Virani has announced he will divide his censorship legislation, Online Harms Bill C-63, into two parts to expedite its passage through Parliament.
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) December 4, 2024
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However, Joseph explained why the justice minister may still be quietly attacking freedom of expression, even in the initial bill. "Most civil libertarian groups, particularly TDF, had no problem with the child protection provisions under the bill," Joseph said.
"But the problem is it's a trojan horse because he's a bit cagey. Part one includes seven types of harms, and four of those deal with child protection...but three involve 'incitement to violence,' 'incitement to violent extremism and terrorism,' and 'content that foments hatred.' And those are still in part one," he said.
Joseph elaborated on how even with the Liberals splitting the bill into two parts, it's quite possible they could quietly sneak in provisions that could harm freedom of expression.
"In some reporting, I see that he's still proceeding with the harm that deals with 'hatred,' and that's so overbroad that it's going to capture a lot of online content, and there's no exemption for reporting or journalism," he said.
In a statement to the Toronto Star, Conservative justice critic Larry Brock said the justice minister is "desperately trying to salvage his deeply flawed legislation."
Brock added: “We will repeal Trudeau’s draconian censorship laws and bring home protection of children and Canadians online while protecting the rights and freedoms of Canadians.”
