Agree with the Gov't or Pay the Price: Canada's New Bill Would Fine Canadians for Facebook Posts
When it comes to government control, there is usually a slippery slope into the depths of authoritarianism.
Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti recently introduced Bill C-36 to Parliament, titled “An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech).”
If the name was not obvious enough, this is code for censoring speech the Canadian government does not agree with.
The bill, if passed, would allow the government to fine its own citizens for content that violates their definition of hate speech.
Liberal darling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is more than likely behind this attack on freedom of expression, which was once considered a hallmark of the Western world.
In a 2019 mandate letter to Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, Trudeau made it clear that he wanted harsher restrictions on social media platforms.
“Create new regulations for social media platforms, starting with a requirement that all platforms remove illegal content, including hate speech, within 24 hours or face significant penalties,” he wrote.
“This should include other online harms such as radicalization, incitement to violence, exploitation of children, or creation or distribution of terrorist propaganda.”
Everything Trudeau lists might seem like common sense items to regulate, except there can be no objective definition of what classifies as hate speech, so it can be universally applicable.
While the bill has only been introduced, Canadian citizens should be well aware that their government could soon be breathing down their necks when it comes to enforcement of this amendment.
But free speech users in the country should already be on alert with the recently passed Bill C-10.
Bill C-10 allows Canada to change algorithms for technology services like Google and Facebook in the nation to better align with the desires of the government, according to the Toronto Sun.
C-10 serves mainly as an amendment to the Broadcasting Act, which is focused on regulating radio and television networks and puts online platforms in that category.
These attempts to regulate free speech online so heavily are almost unheard of by a Western government, and seem to be a disturbing nod to the censorship seen in China and Cuba.
Free speech is a core Canadian value, and we must always protect it.
— Senator Pamela Wallin (@SenatorWallin) June 29, 2021
It turns out that Bill C-10 was just the tip of the iceberg of the Trudeau government’s plans to control what you can say and what you can see online.
Watch the latest episode of The @CandiceMalcolm Show: https://t.co/FanY8X1RZI #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/rcpr0inm4b
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) June 30, 2021
The “woke” mentality touted by the left has already established itself as a threat to people speaking their minds on a cultural level, but a government stepping in to regulate speech is far more concerning.
Big Tech companies have consistently exhibited bias against conservatives on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and having help from governments will only make their crackdowns easier.
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