National

Government to bring forward online harms bill, AI minister says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Jan, 2026 11:46 AM

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

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Liberal party kicks Ruby Dhalla out of leadership race

The Liberal party has kicked Ruby Dhalla out of the leadership race just days before the contestants were to face off in two debates in Montreal. Party national director Azam Ishmael says in a statement published late Friday that the decision was made unanimously by the Liberal Leadership Vote Committee.

Liberal party kicks Ruby Dhalla out of leadership race

Earthquake shakes Vancouver and other B.C. cities

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 has shaken Vancouver, Victoria and other B.C. cities. Natural Resources Canada says the quake was centred 24 kilometres north-northeast of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast.

Earthquake shakes Vancouver and other B.C. cities

Heiltsuk Nation written constitution passes with 67 per cent of votes

The Heiltsuk Nation has approved the adoption of a written constitution for the First Nation on British Columbia's central coast. The nation says 67 per cent of the 725 people who voted on the referendum were in favour of the constitution.

Heiltsuk Nation written constitution passes with 67 per cent of votes

Poilievre's proposed incentives for First Nations water, resource projects draw fire

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he would incentivize First Nations to support natural-resource projects through industry taxes and revisiting how much sway Indigenous Peoples and environmental considerations have over approving projects. The proposals drew swift criticism from some experts and researchers.

Poilievre's proposed incentives for First Nations water, resource projects draw fire

Indigenous kids in care more likely to experience poor health later in life: report

Indigenous people who were in government care as children experience poorer health and socioeconomic outcomes later in life than those who were never in care, a new Statistics Canada report says. They suffer higher rates of disability, lower self-rated health levels and more homelessness, and are more likely to struggle to meet basic household needs, the report says.

Indigenous kids in care more likely to experience poor health later in life: report

Ex-coroner says B.C.'s drug policy overhaul looks like 'impulsive political decision'

British Columbia's former chief coroner says she's disappointed by the province's overhaul of its program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic street drugs, a shift she says "feels like a really impulsive political decision." Lisa Lapointe said the move to a "witnessed-only" model in which people are supervised while consuming their prescription drugs appeared to ignore scientific evidence.