A woman from Calgary is spearheading a nationwide effort to urge the federal government to reintroduce and enhance legislation designed to safeguard individuals, particularly children, from harmful online content.
A coalition comprising parents, medical professionals, educators, and advocates from various regions planned to kick off its Countdown for Kids campaign at Parliament Hill on Thursday morning. They are advocating for the revival of the Online Harms Act with strengthened provisions before the year concludes.
The proposed legislation, known as Bill C-63, which was presented last year, sought to impose stricter penalties for disseminating online hate speech. It also aimed to mandate online platforms, such as social media companies, to promptly remove flagged harmful content within 24 hours.
However, the bill did not progress before the federal election was called, and Parliament was adjourned. Since then, there has been no reintroduction of the bill.
Sara Austin, based in Calgary and the CEO of Children First Canada, is leading the charge to address this issue. She emphasized the unregulated digital landscape that exposes children to potential risks continuously, stressing the urgency for government action to prevent harm.
The campaign is launched amidst escalating concerns about online child sexual exploitation and cyberbullying nationwide, including in Alberta.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) has been highlighting the increasing number of complaints related to online sexual exploitation over the years. Particularly, its Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit focuses on investigating offenses involving child sexual abuse materials, online luring, and child sex trafficking. Since 2022, the unit has probed over 17,500 cases in the province, resulting in charges against 446 individuals and nearly 1,900 charges laid.
There are also worries about online groups coercing vulnerable young individuals into self-harm. An incident involving a Red Deer teenager falling prey to the extremist group 764 was reported by CBC’s The Fifth Estate earlier this year.
Emily Laidlaw, an associate law professor at the University of Calgary specializing in cybersecurity law, has been advocating for online safety legislation. She highlighted the urgent need for regulatory measures to protect young people from harmful online content that can influence negative behaviors.
Laidlaw pointed out the lag in Canada compared to other jurisdictions like the European Union, United Kingdom, and Australia in addressing online safety concerns. She stressed the importance of including provisions to regulate artificial intelligence, particularly AI chatbots, in the upcoming legislation.
The national coalition, led by Sara Austin, is urging the Liberal government to rename the Online Harms Act to the Online Safety Act. They are demanding the establishment of an independent regulator to enforce compliance among online platforms and legally mandate platforms to ensure user safety.
The federal justice minister’s office indicated intentions to proceed with legislation to safeguard children from online sexual exploitation, a commitment made during the Liberal campaign in 2021. However, it remains uncertain whether the previous bill will be reintroduced or undergo modifications.
Lola Dandybaeva, the office’s manager of media relations, emphasized ongoing efforts to finalize the legislation through consultations and encouraged collaborative action to ensure child safety in the digital realm.