Civil liberties groups and those advocating for free expression on the Internet have lobbied Justice Minister Arif Virani to separate two parts of Bill C-63. They want changes to the Criminal Code and the Human Rights Code to be removed from the bill and studied separately.
If that happens, it will slow down the legislative process, making the bill unlikely to become law before the next election.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says on its website while it endorses the declared purpose of Bill C-63 to uphold public safety, protect children and support marginalized communities, “we are of the view that this bill, in its current form, enables blatant violations of expressive freedom, privacy, protest rights, and liberty.”
It says the bill “undermines the fundamental principles of democratic accountability and procedural fairness by granting sweeping powers to the new Digital Safety Commission.”
The organization OpenMedia, which campaigns for online privacy, access and free expression, has also been critical.
“Bill C-63 presents Canadians with a false choice: either we accept extraordinarily draconian punishments for our speech, or we can’t have common sense on-line protections,” said Executive Director Matt Hatfield in a letter to Virani in May. LINK, Etc…
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If that happens, it will slow down the legislative process, making the bill unlikely to become law before the next election.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says on its website while it endorses the declared purpose of Bill C-63 to uphold public safety, protect children and support marginalized communities, “we are of the view that this bill, in its current form, enables blatant violations of expressive freedom, privacy, protest rights, and liberty.”
It says the bill “undermines the fundamental principles of democratic accountability and procedural fairness by granting sweeping powers to the new Digital Safety Commission.”
The organization OpenMedia, which campaigns for online privacy, access and free expression, has also been critical.
“Bill C-63 presents Canadians with a false choice: either we accept extraordinarily draconian punishments for our speech, or we can’t have common sense on-line protections,” said Executive Director Matt Hatfield in a letter to Virani in May. LINK, Etc…
EDITORIAL: Online harms bill flawed by overreach — Toronto Sun
When NDP leader Jagmeet Singh ripped up the Supply and Confidence agreement with the Liberal government, he may have made the controversial online harms bill a welcome piece of collateral damage. Civil liberties groups and those advocating for free expression on the Internet have lobbied Justice...