Erin O'Toole: The Liberals' internet regulation bill opens the door to a massive abuse of power
Regulation

Erin O’Toole: The Liberals’ web regulation invoice opens the door to an enormous abuse of energy

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Regulation of Canadians’ social media platforms should never have been on the table

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May 08, 2021 • • 14 hours ago • • Read for 3 minutes • • 75 comments The Conservative Party will vigorously oppose Bill C-10, which would allow state regulation of the Internet, writes opposition leader Erin O'Toole. The Conservative Party will vigorously oppose Bill C-10, which would allow state regulation of the Internet, writes opposition leader Erin O’Toole. Photo by Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

“If freedom means anything, it means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.” When George Orwell wrote these words in the original foreword to Animal Farm in the 1940s, the internet didn’t exist. It wasn’t years later when Orwell introduced us to the Thought Police and warned that Big Brother would be watching 1984.

But his powerful messages still resonate decades later as corrupt and authoritarian regimes have proven that unfortunately his writing was never a dystopian fantasy. And in the Internet age, there are even more ways for regimes to monitor and control information and to calm people’s voices.

In a democratic society, abuse of power and authority can and should be freely proclaimed without fear of retaliation. Social media has quickly become the primary platform for this purpose, from cell phone videos to interactions with the police to tweets from mass protests. The regulation of social media therefore directly jeopardizes our ability to continue to exercise this critical democratic freedom of expression.

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Orwell’s powerful messages resonate decades later

But amid a pandemic, with Canadians stuck at home and relying more than ever on social media for information, connectivity and entertainment, the Liberal government is tacitly trying to radically change the way Canadians can use social media .

Internet advocates, civil liberties advocates and scholars have highlighted the problems with short-term liberal changes to Bill C-10, and the conservative opposition is calling for action. However, the move by the Trudeau administration raises a fundamental question that we need to consider in the internet age. It is the same question that Orwell’s works asked us. What kind of society do we want to live in?

Is it a society where our connectivity through social media leads to greater transparency and accountability? Or are Canadians ready to have their freedom moderated by the CRTC?

The problem with these questions is not where your freedom begins, but where it ends. The Liberals Bill C-10 is a very slippery slope. Even knowing that this kind of regulation could take place, Canadians’ rights to freedom of expression will be shaken.

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  1. Minister for Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault.

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How could the Trudeau government, having grown accustomed to using the internet and social media freely, possibly believe that Canadians are ready to restrict that freedom now through moderation by a government agency? Should a bureaucrat monitor your neighborhood Facebook group or moderate your comments on messages?

Bill C-10 leaves the door open to massive abuse of power and violation of the rights of Canadians. Canada’s Conservatives are working hard to stop this and will vigorously oppose this law.

Regulation of Canadians’ social media platforms should never have been on the table and was not at the beginning of Bill C-10. The original version of the bill had a number of flaws, but specifically exempted everyday Canadian social media users from regulation. The Liberals changed their minds and quietly opened the door to restrict freedom of expression on the Internet by lifting the exemption. Canadians deserve to know why.

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Should a bureaucrat be monitoring your neighborhood Facebook group?

The Internet has become a vital tool for everyday citizens to hold governments accountable and hear their voices. It is leading to a social change that enables the marginalized to have a stronger voice and has become a great compensation for citizens who do not have the special access or inside privileges to get through to this liberal government. This type of power scares some governments, but it is part of modern democracy and needs to be protected.

Without social media users, we might never have seen the Arab Spring in Tahrir Square. We may not have seen China crack down on student protesters in Hong Kong or follow Russian dissidents in protesting against crackdown on their media and freedom of expression. This generation is telling the story of democracy on social media. For this generation, Radio Free Europe was for the Cold War. This freedom must be preserved.

In light of this major change, Canada’s Conservatives have requested a review of the Bill C-10 Charter. The Liberals declined our request and appear ready to do business with other parties to enforce it. Conservatives support the attempt to level the playing field between major overseas streaming services and Canadian broadcasters, but not at the expense of Canadians’ fundamental rights and freedoms.

Erin O’Toole is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the official opposition.

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