Attorney General Arif Virani stated that he is currently studying "international best practices" regarding regulating online legal content.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Virani did not provide any examples to follow when questioned by reporters.“We are studying what’s working in foreign jurisdictions and we’re definitely working with different online entities, including online companies,” said Virani. “We’ve seen great progress.” Asked when a bill would be introduced, Virani replied “it is really critical that we get this right.”“You didn’t answer the question,” said a reporter. “We are looking at international best practices,” replied Virani.Cabinet in 2021 introduced Bill C-36 An Act to Amend the Criminal Code that proposed $70,000 fines for legal content deemed “likely to foment detestation or vilification.” On July 29, 2021, a Technical Paper and Discussion Paper recommended the appointment of a Digital Safety Commissioner. This commissioner would investigate anonymous complaints, conduct closed-door hearings, and potentially block websites.The bill expired when the previous Parliament ended and was not reintroduced.“We are working on it very, very diligently in terms of aspects that relate to the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and how we address issues that relate to what we’re seeing online,” said Attorney General Virani.The initial proposal from 2021 sparked protests from lawyers, libertarians, and free speech advocates. A total of 9,218 groups and individuals submitted petitions to the department of Canadian heritage, with the majority opposing.Critics, including the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, cautioned that the proposed federal regulation was extremely broad and might suppress political dissent.“The Minister of Justice has done the difficult work of getting legislation ready to improve protections and ensure we have the best level of online safety possible and he will have a lot to say about that when the legislation is introduced,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters November 28.“Why are we still waiting for it?” asked a reporter. “Because it is complicated,” replied LeBlanc.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly said legal internet content must be regulated. “The government believes in free speech,” Trudeau said in a September 9, 2022, interview with legal counsel at the Freedom Convoy inquiry in Ottawa. “But with social media there is a new way to foment anger and hate that is different from anything we have seen before, difficult to counter, and it is destabilizing our democracy,” said Trudeau.
