Discussion · Government Orders
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Québécois
“We must act to protect children from the harms of social media. We cannot leave this only to parents and schools. But I want to know how this bill will work. I worry the government is avoiding hard choices by leaving all the difficult decisions to the new digital safety commission.”
“Madam Speaker, I am accustomed to working with my colleague from Trois‑Rivières on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, also known as HUMA. We work well together. We agree on one thing: Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. She talked about her experience as a mother. As the godmother of a young adult, the aunt of a preteen and a teenager, and the mother of a preschool-age little girl, I see the challenges that come at every age with the use of screens and social media. She also said that the young people she consulted told her that the government has a responsibility in this area. We cannot shift everything over to the education system or foist it on parents. One of the questions we have relates specifically to the creation of the digital security commission. Is this not, to some extent, a way for the government to sidestep responsibility for the most contentious issues by introducing framework legislation that sets out broad principles ? Our question regarding such a complex issue centres on the “how”. It is when we examine the “how” that the most difficult and controversial issues come up. How will the government be able to take a stance on the most contentious issues if everything is delegated to the digital security commission?”
Madam Speaker, I am accustomed to working with my colleague from Trois‑Rivières on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, also known as HUMA. We work well together. We agree on one thing: Maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. She talked about her experience as a mother. As the godmother of a young adult, the aunt of a preteen and a teenager, and the mother of a preschool-age little girl, I see the challenges that come at every age with the use of screens and social media. She also said that the young people she consulted told her that the government has a responsibility in this area. We cannot shift everything over to the education system or foist it on parents. One of the questions we have relates specifically to the creation of the digital security commission. Is this not, to some extent, a way for the government to sidestep responsibility for the most contentious issues by introducing framework legislation that sets out broad principles ? Our question regarding such a complex issue centres on the “how”. It is when we examine the “how” that the most difficult and controversial issues come up. How will the government be able to take a stance on the most contentious issues if everything is delegated to the digital security commission?