Peter Menzies: Online Harms Act Is Using Child Safety as a Front to Assault Canadians’ Freedoms

Commentary The Online Harms Act, in all its ominous incarnations, was always going to be all about saving the children. Except it was never just about that. It was really always about what has been revealed to be its core purpose: suppressing Canadians’ freedom of speech on the internet. The saving the children from exploitation by online predators part is just political exploitation. Either you agree with the bill entirely, its proponents will say, or you don’t want children protected. Too cynical? If only that were the case. When I wrote about this immediately following the tabling of this legislation on Feb. 26, one commenter pointed out—rightly—that I hadn’t covered all the truly extreme steps Justice Minister Arif Virani had taken with this legislation, which is enormous in both length and complexity. I don’t like to rush to judgment. I don’t like to be wrong and, frankly, some of the provisions were so bizarre they were difficult to believe without affirmation from legal experts....