Conservatives say they have solution for online harassment after Liberals ‘failed’

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner says her party will introduce a bill in the House of Commons next week to protect people from online harassment.

Rempel Garner says the Liberals have had “almost 10 years” and tried to pass two bills to address the growing problem of online criminal harm and have “failed.”

Her bill will modernize the existing law against criminal harassment so a victim can ask a judge to force social media companies to identify someone who has repeatedly harassed them online.

The bill also sets out a requirement for online companies to give parents the tools to keep their kids safe, and introduce algorithms that verify a user’s age without requiring a digital ID.

Rempel Garner insists her approach would not constrict freedom of speech, one of the criticisms of the online harms act introduced by the Liberals last winter.

That legislation would create new requirements for social media companies to protect their users from sexual victimization, hatred and bullying and establish a new regulator to enforce it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.