Prime Minister Mark Carney says a re-elected Liberal government will move forward with new regulations targeting harmful online content, marking a third attempt to legislate internet speech in Canada.
Blacklock's Reporter says Carney made the comments during a campaign rally in Hamilton, after being interrupted by hecklers.
Responding to accusations from the crowd, including questions about ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, Carney paused briefly before refocusing his remarks.
“There are many serious issues that we’re dealing with,” he said. “One of them is the sea of misogyny, antisemitism, hatred, and conspiracy theories — this sort of pollution online that washes over our virtual borders from the United States.”
While Carney said he could tolerate conspiracy theories directed at him personally, he emphasized the broader danger to Canadian society.
“The more serious thing is when it affects how people behave — when Canadians are threatened going to their community centres or their places of worship or their school or, God forbid, when it affects our children,” he said.
“My government, if we are elected, will be taking action.”
Carney did not offer specific details on what new legislation might look like. Hate speech is already illegal in Canada under amendments to the Criminal Code introduced in 1970.
The Liberal government has twice attempted to pass laws that would allow the regulation of certain forms of legal online content.
The most recent proposal, Bill C-63, An Act To Enact The Online Harms Act, sought to crack down on content considered “likely to foment detestation or vilification” of individuals or groups.
It would have empowered the Canadian Human Rights Commission to investigate related complaints. The bill failed to pass Second Reading before Parliament was prorogued on January 6.
A previous bill with similar aims, C-36, also lapsed without becoming law in 2021.
Former heritage minister Pascale St-Onge said earlier this year that the government remained committed to addressing online discourse.
“We are in challenging times right now,” she said on February 20. “Respect is lacking in public discourse. Misinformation circulates easier than facts. Debate is being monetized by algorithms and social media.”
St-Onge acknowledged the importance of freedom of expression but argued that it is being misused.
“We need to make sure that it exists and that it’s protected,” she said. “Yet the same freedom of expression is currently being exploited and undermined.”
The Liberal government has not yet specified how much it would spend on future efforts to regulate digital content.
