Tuesday, May 5, 2026
ADVT 
National

Government to bring forward online harms bill, AI minister says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Jan, 2026 11:46 AM
  • Government to bring forward online harms bill, AI minister says

Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says the federal government is working on online harms legislation.

Solomon says Culture Minister Marc Miller will bring that bill forward.

The bill would be separate from privacy legislation Solomon will introduce, and from a justice bill the government tabled last year that includes elements criminalizing some deepfakes.

The Liberal government introduced the Online Harms Act in 2024, which would have imposed new requirements on social media companies and created an online regulator, but the bill never became law.

Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Liberals initially signalled they would not bring the bill back in the same form, but would instead tackle aspects of online harms in other legislation.

Solomon’s comments follow calls from women and children’s advocates to bring back the defunct bill, and after a report in the Globe and Mail said an upcoming online harms bill could include a social media ban for children under 14.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MORE National ARTICLES

'General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canadian classrooms

'General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canadian classrooms
Sixteen-year-old Roha Akram was skeptical when teachers in Calgary announced a cellphone ban during the first assembly of the school year.

'General acceptance': A year of banning cellphones in Canadian classrooms

Pediatric ward closure in Kelowna triggers fears of ripple effect in B.C. hospitals

Pediatric ward closure in Kelowna triggers fears of ripple effect in B.C. hospitals
Dr. Jeff Eppler, an emergency room physician at Kelowna General Hospital, is getting ready for a hectic summer.

Pediatric ward closure in Kelowna triggers fears of ripple effect in B.C. hospitals

One child killed, another in hospital after Vancouver speed boat crash

One child killed, another in hospital after Vancouver speed boat crash
An 11-year-old child is dead and another is in critical condition after a speed boat hit them while they were being towed on an inner tube off North Vancouver's Cates Park on Saturday.

One child killed, another in hospital after Vancouver speed boat crash

Hot spell persists in southern B.C. after breaking century-old records

Hot spell persists in southern B.C. after breaking century-old records
An early season hot spell that has brought temperatures approaching 40 Celsius to parts of southern British Columbia, breaking more than a dozen daily heat records, won't be lifting until at least tomorrow.

Hot spell persists in southern B.C. after breaking century-old records

B.C. crews brace for extreme fire behaviour when winds from cold front hit northeast

B.C. crews brace for extreme fire behaviour when winds from cold front hit northeast
The BC Wildfire Service says crews are preparing for "extreme fire behaviour" in the province's northeastern region as a second dry cold front is forecast to move through.

B.C. crews brace for extreme fire behaviour when winds from cold front hit northeast

Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year

Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year
Canada will meet its NATO defence spending commitment for the first time in decades as it comes to grips with an alarming new world of threats, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in Toronto Monday morning.

Carney vows Canada will meet 2% NATO spending pledge this year