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

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly off to Washington next week to talk tariffs

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly heads to Washington next week to press the incoming Trump administration not to impose damaging tariffs on Canada. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico when he is inaugurated later this month.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly off to Washington next week to talk tariffs

Flu driving spike in respiratory illness in B.C., but COVID-19 numbers low

New data shared by British Columbia's Centre for Disease Control shows the province has one of the worst flu rates in Canada, as a holiday-season spike in respiratory illnesses continues. But the data also shows the province has one of the lowest COVID-19 test positivity rates in the country, at about half the national rate.

Flu driving spike in respiratory illness in B.C., but COVID-19 numbers low

Trudeau says Trump is trying to distract from cost of tariffs with 51st state remarks

Trudeau made the comments in an interview on CNN late Thursday while in Washington, where he attended the funeral for the late U.S. president Jimmy Carter. He did not meet with Trump during his trip south of the border.

Trudeau says Trump is trying to distract from cost of tariffs with 51st state remarks

'Incalculably small' amount of diesel visible at site of 8,000-litre B.C. spill

Aerial surveillance over an area where thousands of litres of diesel was spilled last month off Vancouver Island shows most of the fuel is no longer visible on the water. An update from officials managing the spill says a flight over Lutes Creek near Zeballos, B.C., spotted "an incalculably small" volume of sheen in proximity to the fish farm where up to 8,000 litres spilled into the water on Dec. 14.

'Incalculably small' amount of diesel visible at site of 8,000-litre B.C. spill

B.C. teen with avian flu discharged after weeks in hospital

BC Children’s Hospital says a 13-year-old girl with avian flu was discharged Tuesday after weeks in hospital. The patient was taken to a pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory failure and pneumonia on Nov. 8 and health officials said she tested positive for H5N1 a day later.

B.C. teen with avian flu discharged after weeks in hospital

Liberals will remove 'fraudulent' memberships, as some register their pets to vote

A federal Liberal spokesman says the party can and will remove "fraudulent profiles" from its list of electors eligible to vote for its next leader. Parker Lund's comment comes after multiple people posted online about creating fake profiles using fake names or their pet names and listing their address as that of the prime minister or the Chinese embassy.