Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia and fellow G7 counterparts are blaming the internet for a surge in public cynicism, hostility, and harsh language directed at legislators.“This behaviour is on the rise and we condemn this troubling trend,” read a declaration signed in Ottawa by speakers from Canada, the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union. Blacklock's Reporter said the group warned that young voters are losing trust in democratic institutions and drifting toward extreme positions, in some cases even political violence.The statement said social media platforms, powered by hidden algorithms, amplify division and restrict exposure to opposing viewpoints. It urged governments, industry, and civil society to collaborate on promoting “civil discourse” and countering foreign online influence..Scarpaleggia, elected Speaker last May, has long spoken of the internet as both a tool for authenticity and a source of social division. “If younger people truly value personal authenticity, they must also express it at the ballot box,” he said previously in the Commons.Ottawa has already tried and failed twice to impose internet censorship. Bills C-36 and C-63, both aimed at curbing “online harms,” died in Parliament. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to try again, saying Canada must be shielded from “online hate from the United States.”Carney argued the real danger lies not in fringe conspiracy theories but in online rhetoric spilling into real-world threats. “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, my government will be taking action,” he told voters during last spring’s campaign.
