Discussion · Government Orders
Rachael Thomas Conservative
“Canadians want to protect children online. But this bill does not say which social media platforms it covers. Those choices will be made later behind closed doors, not by elected members of Parliament. I want the member to explain how the government will decide which platforms are covered and which ones are not.”
“Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague outlined the concerns of his constituents. I imagine that most of them would be happy about the idea of having legislation that would protect their children online. I think the vast majority of Canadians, of course, want that. The question with the legislation, however, is, who would kids be protected from? Which platforms would be scoped in? Would Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat be scoped in? The legislation does not actually state that. It says that is yet to be determined in the regulations that we can expect at some date in the future. These types of decisions would be made behind closed doors rather than by elected officials in the House. I am curious if the member could indicate how that would be determined. Which services would be scoped in, and which services would be allowed to continue to allow predatory practices with regard to our young people? Clearly, not all would be held accountable.”
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague outlined the concerns of his constituents. I imagine that most of them would be happy about the idea of having legislation that would protect their children online. I think the vast majority of Canadians, of course, want that. The question with the legislation, however, is, who would kids be protected from? Which platforms would be scoped in? Would Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat be scoped in? The legislation does not actually state that. It says that is yet to be determined in the regulations that we can expect at some date in the future. These types of decisions would be made behind closed doors rather than by elected officials in the House. I am curious if the member could indicate how that would be determined. Which services would be scoped in, and which services would be allowed to continue to allow predatory practices with regard to our young people? Clearly, not all would be held accountable.