New York Post - Once democracy, Canada is now authoritarian

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “believes in free speech, but” is upset by social media content that is “difficult to counter,” he said. Trudeau’s remarks follow a proposal to regulate legal internet content deemed hurtful.

The remarks are detailed in an Interview Summary of a September 9 meeting between Trudeau and six lawyers with the Public Order Emergency Commission. The Summary said Trudeau was upset by unregulated internet content. “The Prime Minister emphasized the need for governments to take online rhetoric seriously,” read minutes of the interview.

“He noted we are living in a very difficult time right now,” said the Summary, adding: “The problem arises when disagreements are built on falsehoods or wrong facts because then it becomes difficult to have a real debate and genuine exchange of ideas.”

“The government believes in free speech,” said Trudeau. “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. He raised the examples of spoof websites that look real.”

“The Prime Minister noted since the invocation of the Emergencies Act there have been people spreading the message the government suspended civil liberties, used violence against peaceful protesters and suspended democracy, which did not happen,” said the minutes. “There are those who take this message as confirmation the government is illegitimate and treasonous.”

The Interview Summary “does not include everything the Prime Minister spoke about during the interview,” wrote Commission lawyers. It did not elaborate.

$70,000 Fines

Cabinet since 2019 has proposed legislation to censor lawful internet content deemed a threat to “social cohesion.” Bill C-36 An Act To Amend The Criminal Code introduced on June 23, 2021 advocated $70,000 fines on bloggers, Facebook friends and other internet users who post messages “likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group.” The bill lapsed in the last Parliament.

Cabinet in a July 29, 2021 Technical Paper and Discussion Paper went further in suggesting cabinet appoint a Digital Safety Commissioner to monitor legal internet content. The Commissioner would have powers to investigate anonymous complaints, conduct closed-door hearings and block websites.

Bill C-36 has not been re-introduced to date. “I assure you that Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and others within our government are leaning in on this and will bring forward the legislation as quickly as possible,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporter last August 29. He set no deadline.

“I know that Minister Rodriguez is very eager to bring forward this legislation,” said Mendicino. The Attorney General “and others within our government are very eager to take the feedback they have received,” he said.

A total 9,218 submissions were received by the Department of Canadian Heritage on the proposals. Petitioners were overwhelmingly opposed.

Any legislation must “ensure that people can have robust free speech” but “also delineate some clear boundaries on what is not acceptable,” said Mendicino. Hate speech is illegal in Canada under 1970 amendments to the Criminal Code.