A woman from Calgary is spearheading a nationwide effort to urge the federal government to reintroduce and enhance legislation designed to safeguard individuals, especially children, from harmful online content. A coalition comprising parents, medical professionals, educators, and other advocates from various regions is launching the Countdown for Kids campaign on Parliament Hill to advocate for the revival of the Online Harms Act, previously known as Bill C-63, which aimed to impose stricter penalties for disseminating online hate and mandate rapid removal of flagged harmful content by online platforms like social media companies within 24 hours. Despite being tabled last year, the bill did not progress due to the federal election and Parliament’s prorogation, remaining unaddressed since then.
Sara Austin, a resident of Calgary and CEO of Children First Canada, is championing this cause, emphasizing the unregulated digital environment that exposes children to risks continuously throughout the day, stressing the urgent need for government action to prevent potential harm to children. The initiative comes amid escalating concerns regarding online child sexual exploitation and cyberbullying nationwide, including in Alberta.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) has been highlighting the increasing number of complaints related to online sexual exploitation, particularly involving child sexual abuse and exploitation material, computer-related offenses, internet luring, voyeurism, and child sex trafficking. Over the past three years, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit has handled over 17,500 cases across Alberta, resulting in charges against 446 individuals and nearly 1,900 charges laid. Additionally, there are apprehensions about violent online groups coercing vulnerable youth into self-harm, exemplified by a Red Deer teenager’s involvement with the extremist group 764.
Emily Laidlaw, an associate law professor at the University of Calgary specializing in cybersecurity law, has long advocated for online safety legislation, emphasizing the exposure of young individuals to harmful content promoting behaviors like suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and self-harm. Laidlaw underscored the need for a comprehensive societal approach to address the issue and highlighted the lag in Canada compared to jurisdictions like the European Union, United Kingdom, and Australia in enacting relevant laws.
Addressing the impending legislation, the national coalition led by Austin is pressing the Liberal government to rename the Online Harms Act as the Online Safety Act, with a focus on establishing an independent regulator to enforce platform compliance and legally obliging digital platforms to ensure user safety. The federal justice minister’s office confirmed its commitment to introducing legislation safeguarding children from online sexual exploitation, reflecting a Liberal campaign pledge from 2021. The office indicated ongoing efforts to finalize the legislation, with Minister Sean Fraser’s office manager of media relations, Lola Dandybaeva, underscoring the collaborative approach needed to ensure child safety.