Pundits Say Governor General Should Remain Impartial After Hosting Event Linked by Minister to Online Harms Bill
Published on April 16, 2024
An symposium on online abuse hosted by Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall last week has been linked by a cabinet minister to the Liberal government’s efforts to champion its Online Harms Act legislation, raising questions from pundits about Ms. Simon’s “impartiality.” While Rideau Hall drew no parallels between Bill C-63 and its April 11 symposium, Attorney General Arif Virani described the conference on social media as a time to discuss “our Online Harms Act to create a safe experience for everyone.” “We know online harms have real world consequences,” Mr. Virani wrote in an April 11 post. “With industry experts at the governor general’s symposium we discussed this and our Online Harms Act.”...