Trudeau gov’t plans new internet censorship bill targeting ‘online’ speech before year’s end
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Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez expects details to be released shortly.
(LifeSiteNews) – A top cabinet minister from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inner circle confirmed that the federal government by year’s end will try and bring forth a new version of its much-panned internet censorship bill that would target online speech.
Speaking to the House of Commons Heritage Committee yesterday, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said more details about the new internet censorship bill would be announced “shortly.”
“We have worked a good deal on this issue and we will have more to announce shortly,” he testified.
In December, LifeSiteNews reported how released notes showed Trudeau lamented the fact that social media content is hard to “counter,” leading to speculation that his government’s lapsed web regulation bill from last year may be resurrected.
That bill was known as Bill C-36, introduced in 2021, which critics warned would have censored bloggers and social media users and could have even opened the door to giving police the power to “do something” about online “hate.” This bill lapsed in Parliament after an election was called.
Yesterday, Rodriguez confirmed that most likely a new version of Bill C-36 is in the works. This is although, under Canada’s Criminal Code, hate speech is already a crime.
Asked about more details regarding the forthcoming legislation, Rodriguez said that “we are coming up with something very shortly,” but could not get a specific date.
NDP MP Peter Julian asked Rodriguez if the new bill would be coming in “the fall.”
“It’s not going to be longer than the fall of course, but I can’t give you a specific date,” Rodriguez responded.
Rodriguez about his new bill said that online “hate as you know doesn’t stay online,” adding that it “makes its way into the street. It makes its way into real behaviour,” without explaining what “real behaviour,” meant.