New legislation proposes hefty fines, new commission, in bid to curb online hate

Amid an onslaught of online discrimination and abuse, the federal government is proposing a new digital safety commission as well as a host of measures designed to protect Canadians from harmful online content.

The bill, which passed first reading in the House of Commons on Monday, followed years of advocacy from Carol Todd.

Todd is the mother of Amanda Todd, the Port Coquitlam teen who died by suicide after being extorted, bullied and harassed online.

Speaking to CTV News on Monday, Todd discussed the importance of the then-pending legislation, emphasizing that children’s lives are at stake.

The bill is designed to hold online platforms ranging from social media sites like Facebook to streaming platforms: “accountable for the design choices made that lead to the dissemination and amplification of harmful content,” according to a release from the federal government.

Penalties can reach as high as $10 million, explained Justice Minister Arif Virani.

“Right now, it is too easy for social media companies to look the other way as hate and exploitation festers on their platforms,” he told reporters.

The general tenor of many social media sites will be the same, Virani acknowledged.

“There will still be humiliating comments, there will still be offensive comments, insults, expressions of disdain and dislike,” he said.

However, when that rhetoric could be classified as the vilification of a person or group, law enforcement can intervene.

“[The bill] does not undermine freedom of speech. It enhances free expression by empowering all people to safely participate in online debate,” Virani said. “Where your posts and go and what appears in your feed are dictated by platforms. Through this bill, we are restoring more of that power to you.”

Dealing with certain social media sites has been challenging, according to a government release.

“There is currently little accountability and transparency in terms of what platforms need to do to help ensure the safety of their users,” the release stated.

The bill would establish a digital safety commission along with a digital safety ombudsperson and a digital safety office.

The agencies would be tasked with policing content that sexually victims a child, violent extremist and terrorist content, intimate content posted without consent, content that incites hatred, content used to bully a child and content that incudes a child to harm themselves.

The chair of the digital commission will be voted on in parliament and the senate, according to Virani.