(Ottawa) A spokesperson for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canadian Justice Minister Arif Virani “should be ashamed” after “politicizing and exploiting” the non-partisan office of Canadian Governor General Mary Simon , during a conference on online harm which took place last week.
Mr. Virani had posted photos on his social media of himself with “industry experts” at the event at Rideau Hall, touting his hotly debated online harms bill.
In his publication, Virani claimed that he had discussed Bill C-63 with those present.
Sebastian Skamski, spokesperson for Pierre Poilievre, described the exercise as “a pathetic campaign to promote a controversial bill that has received widespread criticism.” The Conservative Party of Canada opposes the bill.
For her part, Mary Simon’s office says the conference brought together people who spoke about their personal experiences with harmful content online. The agenda did not include any discussion of Bill C-63.
Lynne Santerre, the governor general’s deputy director of public affairs, said the governor general would continue to advocate for “digital respect,” despite suggestions that it would be inappropriate for her to intervene.
According to Mme Santerre, last week’s event was in preparation since 2023 and its “planning and organization” was led “exclusively” by Ms.me Simon.
She used her “convening power” to bring together a wide range of stakeholders at Rideau Hall, including MPs and senators “who had spoken out on the issue of online abuse,” according to Ms.me Santerre.
“The symposium provided an opportunity for participants to make connections and collaborate on potential solutions,” she said.
Mary Simon’s office confirmed that among the invited parliamentarians, only Mr. Virani and independent senator Bernadette Clement were present.
Journalists also took part in the event, including one from La Presse Canadienne.
In a statement, Minister Virani said he only showed up for dinner and the bill “naturally” came up for discussion.
It is disappointing to see an event organized in good faith to provide victims with a safe space to share their experiences and discuss an issue that is of widespread concern to Canadians, be the subject of completely unwarranted criticism.
Arif Virani, Canadian Minister of Justice
Mr. Virani explained that he was happy to accept Mr.me Simon to support participants who shared experiences of online abuse and harassment and “discuss the pressing social issue of online safety”.
Parliamentary expert and professor at Carleton University, Philippe Lagassé, maintains that the conference was “risky”. According to him, Minister Viriani should not have been present at the event.
The role of governor general is strictly non-partisan and requires a lot of work to build bridges across party lines and “ideological divisions,” Mr. Lagassé explained.
“The more personal it becomes for the governor general, the more he has to make sure that he doesn’t touch it if it’s part of a major debate in the country, because then his bias becomes obvious. »
Mary Simon has made efforts to raise awareness of online abuse since her office decided to disable comments on her social media accounts last year, following an avalanche of harassing remarks.
She should have suspended these efforts as soon as the bill was tabled, according to Mr. Lagassé.
Law Project
The Online Harms Act, if passed, would require social media companies to limit their users’ exposure to harmful content, particularly anything that could be used to bully a child or encourage a minor to self-harm.
The law would also govern the creation of a new digital regulator and require companies to quickly remove images of child sexual abuse and sexual images shared without consent.
The Conservative Party of Canada believes that existing laws should be applied to protect vulnerable people online rather than “referring to a new bureaucracy,” said Sebastian Skamski. He accused Mr. Trudeau of wanting to prohibit opinions with this bill.
Arif Virani and Justice Department officials say the changes would only apply to extreme cases and that a high threshold of harm would have to be met for hate speech to reach Canada’s human rights tribunal. person.
Social groups and legal experts say they fear a chilling of freedom of expression due to the stiffer penalties that will be applied if the bill passes.
reference: www.lapresse.ca