Dear Dr. Ramic,
I am writing in response to your correspondence urging the Government of Canada to include the denial of the Srebrenica genocide in its regulatory framework as part of the ongoing commitment to address online safety. I appreciate your taking the time to write on this matter.
As you know, the Government is committed to putting in place a transparent and accountable regulatory framework for online safety in Canada. Now, more than ever, online services must be held responsible for addressing harmful content on their platforms and creating safe spaces online that protect all Canadians. I understand your concerns and appreciate the statistics and information that you shared.
As part of the work on this priority, the Government is pursuing ongoing engagement to inform the development of future legislation. The advisory group, which met over the course of the spring, was comprised of 12 experts from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The panel discussed wide-ranging issues, which included legislative and regulatory obligations, freedom of expression and disinformation. The group’s work concluded on June 10, 2022, and summaries of their discussions have been postedonline.
Additionally, the Citizen’s Assembly on Democratic Expression, comprised of participants from a variety of backgrounds representative of Canada’s diversity, met from June 15 to 19, 2022, to discuss the issue of a new legislative and regulatory framework to address harmful content online. The Assembly reviewed the work of the expert panel and considered the measures the Government should take to strengthen safety online. The Assembly has issued its final report in September 2022.
As a next step, I conducted regional and virtual roundtables on online safety to hear from and understand the perspectives of those who would be most impacted by the legislation.
Rest assured that I remain committed to combatting hate online, and I will continue to work with my colleague the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, to promote a safer and more inclusive online environment so all Canadians can express themselves without being subject to hateful or threatening attacks.
My Department would be happy to hear from you and your organization, therefore, I invite you to contact Mr. Pierre-Marc Perreault, Director of Digital Citizen Initiative, by email at pierre-marc.perreault@pch.gc.ca.
Once again, thank you for sharing your concerns and for your engagement on this important matter.
Please accept my best wishes.
Sincerely,
The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, P.C., M.P.