A new report from Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez showed Canadians are seeking “stronger legislation” to regulate legal content online. . PABLO RODRIGUEZ .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the report's conclusions came from feedback from selected groups who participated in meetings organized by the department of Heritage to discuss censorship..“There was support among participants for creating an online safety regulator,” said the report What We Heard: 2022 Roundtables on Online Safety. .“Many participants expressed [a] desire for stronger legislation, regulations, and systems to be introduced to combat online harm. Participants acknowledged the importance of future online safety legislation.”.The report was a result of 19 federal meetings that took place between July and November in various cities across Canada. These cities include Surrey, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Windsor, Niagara, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax, Charlottetown, and St. John's..Guests invited to the meetings included the Prince Edward Island Transgender Network, Indo-Canada Association of the Greater Moncton Area, Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canadian Muslim Forum, Mexican Society of Edmonton and Youth Parliament of Manitoba. Meetings were not attended by any digital publishers, civil liberties groups or constitutional scholars..In 1970, Parliament banned hate speech through the Criminal Code. However, according to the Online Safety report, there is a recommendation for Parliament to take additional steps in prohibiting content that is considered hurtful or even inaccurate. .“The distinction between misinformation and disinformation was discussed by participants,” said the report. .“Participants viewed misinformation as a step before disinformation and questioned if legislation can capture both issues. A few participants discussed whether online safety legislation should include misinformation and disinformation due to the challenges of tackling both.”.The nationwide meetings followed a Feb. 3, 2022, federal report that found widespread opposition to regulating legal internet content. “Many cautioned against opening up categories of harmful content to speech that, though harmful, would nevertheless be lawful,” said the earlier report What We Heard: The Government’s Proposed Approach to Address Harmful Content Online..The previous report came from a total of 9,218 submissions received by the department of Canadian Heritage. These submissions came from various sources, including lawyers, academics, civil liberties groups, and citizens..“Concerned stakeholders expressed that requiring the removal of speech that would otherwise be legal would raise risks of undermining access to information, limiting Charter rights, namely the freedom of expression, and restricting the exchange of ideas and viewpoints that are necessary in a democratic society,” said the What We Heard report..“Respondents asserted legislation imposing content moderation requirements on platforms should be limited to illegal content only.” .The Heritage department has recognized the “significant controversy” surrounding the censorship of internet posts. .In testimony on May 29, Rodriguez told the Commons Heritage committee that a bill to regulate legal internet content would be introduced before the end of 2023..“It’s not going to be longer than the fall, but of course, I can’t give you a specific date,” said Rodriguez.
