The federal Conservatives have introduced new online crime legislation that, unlike the Trudeau Liberals’ Online Harms Bill C-63, does not “infringe upon Canadians’ civil liberties.”The legislation will “protect Canadians online while preserving their civil liberties,” the Tories said in a press release. It will build upon existing criminal laws rather than make up new ones, as does the Liberals’ proposal — and “expressly prohibits” the requirement of a digital ID. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner speaking to reporters on Thursday announced the party will present the new legislation when parliament returns September 16. “After nine years of Justin Trudeau, the NDP-Liberal coalition has failed to put forward any legislation that will protect Canadians online without infringing upon their civil liberties,” said Rempel Garner. “Canadians are paying the price for this failure. Online criminal behaviour is still rampant, yet the Liberals’ only response has been to table two censorship bills, forcing Canadians to choose between their safety and free expression.”Rempel Garner slammed the Liberals’ attempt to “censor” Canadians with Bill C-63 and warned their bill would lead to “costly bureaucracies led by radical Trudeau appointees who will take more money out of working Canadians’ paycheques while punishing people for posting content the Liberal government doesn’t like. Rather, the Conservative legislation would “protect the most vulnerable Canadians without creating a government-managed surveillance state or restricting Charter-protected speech.”Rempel Garner emphasized criminal harassment laws already exist; her party’s bill will “modernize” the laws as pertains the internet. “This update won’t criminalize something like two people disagreeing about policy online, or other types of expression of opinion that is protected under the Charter, which Liberal Bill C-63 will undermine. Specifically, the provision in our new Conservative legislation will be based on the existing definition of criminal harassment, applying specifically to those who repeatedly send unwanted, harassing content that causes someone to reasonably fear for their safety or well-being,” she said. It also has specific provisions to protect minors. The legislation will criminalize sharing “intimate” photos without consent, non-consensually sharing “deep nudes” (life-like images generated by AI) and the non-consensual sharing of images of videos of sexual assault. Laws against revenge porn already exist, the Tories' proposed bill includes more safeguards to protect victims of sexual abuse. “Imagine opening your email or direct messages to find explicit messages about how someone is going to kill or rape you. Or, maybe it's a message threatening some form of blackmail — like releasing deepfaked nude photos — if you don't comply with the abuser's demands. Then imagine the police telling you there's not much they can do to help you, and even if they do, living with the fear and constant anxiety of knowing there's nothing much to stop the perpetrator from immediately beginning that pattern of harassment again. Then imagine this harassment escalating into physical violence or self-harm,” said Rempel Garner.“Now, imagine this happening to a minor.”“The promotion and marketing of products or services that are currently unlawful for minors; mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, loneliness, eating disorders and substance use disorders; and the promotion of self-harm, suicide and suicidal behaviours;Patterns of use that indicate or encourage addiction-like behaviours.”“The legislation will outline in detail how operators must comply with and operate under this duty of care, including reporting requirements, marketing prohibitions, and other items. Operators who don't comply with these provisions will face steep fines and a private right of action.”When Parliament returns on Monday, the Conservatives will “call upon the Liberals to scrap Bill C-63 and pursue our new approach instead,” said Rempel Garner. She conceded Bill C-63 does have one “supportable measure,” which is “strengthening mandatory reporting requirements of Internet child pornography by internet operators.” She said this component could be “passed on unanimous consent” or “put into a new bill should an election be called.”“The Liberals must adopt the common sense approach set forth in this new legislation or they must call an election and let Canadians tell them which approach they prefer: immediate common sense protections for when they are online, or more costly censorship bureaucracy.”
The federal Conservatives have introduced new online crime legislation that, unlike the Trudeau Liberals’ Online Harms Bill C-63, does not “infringe upon Canadians’ civil liberties.”The legislation will “protect Canadians online while preserving their civil liberties,” the Tories said in a press release. It will build upon existing criminal laws rather than make up new ones, as does the Liberals’ proposal — and “expressly prohibits” the requirement of a digital ID. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner speaking to reporters on Thursday announced the party will present the new legislation when parliament returns September 16. “After nine years of Justin Trudeau, the NDP-Liberal coalition has failed to put forward any legislation that will protect Canadians online without infringing upon their civil liberties,” said Rempel Garner. “Canadians are paying the price for this failure. Online criminal behaviour is still rampant, yet the Liberals’ only response has been to table two censorship bills, forcing Canadians to choose between their safety and free expression.”Rempel Garner slammed the Liberals’ attempt to “censor” Canadians with Bill C-63 and warned their bill would lead to “costly bureaucracies led by radical Trudeau appointees who will take more money out of working Canadians’ paycheques while punishing people for posting content the Liberal government doesn’t like. Rather, the Conservative legislation would “protect the most vulnerable Canadians without creating a government-managed surveillance state or restricting Charter-protected speech.”Rempel Garner emphasized criminal harassment laws already exist; her party’s bill will “modernize” the laws as pertains the internet. “This update won’t criminalize something like two people disagreeing about policy online, or other types of expression of opinion that is protected under the Charter, which Liberal Bill C-63 will undermine. Specifically, the provision in our new Conservative legislation will be based on the existing definition of criminal harassment, applying specifically to those who repeatedly send unwanted, harassing content that causes someone to reasonably fear for their safety or well-being,” she said. It also has specific provisions to protect minors. The legislation will criminalize sharing “intimate” photos without consent, non-consensually sharing “deep nudes” (life-like images generated by AI) and the non-consensual sharing of images of videos of sexual assault. Laws against revenge porn already exist, the Tories' proposed bill includes more safeguards to protect victims of sexual abuse. “Imagine opening your email or direct messages to find explicit messages about how someone is going to kill or rape you. Or, maybe it's a message threatening some form of blackmail — like releasing deepfaked nude photos — if you don't comply with the abuser's demands. Then imagine the police telling you there's not much they can do to help you, and even if they do, living with the fear and constant anxiety of knowing there's nothing much to stop the perpetrator from immediately beginning that pattern of harassment again. Then imagine this harassment escalating into physical violence or self-harm,” said Rempel Garner.“Now, imagine this happening to a minor.”“The promotion and marketing of products or services that are currently unlawful for minors; mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, loneliness, eating disorders and substance use disorders; and the promotion of self-harm, suicide and suicidal behaviours;Patterns of use that indicate or encourage addiction-like behaviours.”“The legislation will outline in detail how operators must comply with and operate under this duty of care, including reporting requirements, marketing prohibitions, and other items. Operators who don't comply with these provisions will face steep fines and a private right of action.”When Parliament returns on Monday, the Conservatives will “call upon the Liberals to scrap Bill C-63 and pursue our new approach instead,” said Rempel Garner. She conceded Bill C-63 does have one “supportable measure,” which is “strengthening mandatory reporting requirements of Internet child pornography by internet operators.” She said this component could be “passed on unanimous consent” or “put into a new bill should an election be called.”“The Liberals must adopt the common sense approach set forth in this new legislation or they must call an election and let Canadians tell them which approach they prefer: immediate common sense protections for when they are online, or more costly censorship bureaucracy.”
