Kevin Lamoureux, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Linked statement
“I want the Conservatives to support this bill. It creates a digital safety commission with three to five members to hold online platforms accountable. We need experts to help protect children from online harms like suicide content, deepfakes, and chatbots.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to address Bill C-34. I will pick up on the concern that the member from the Conservative Party officially expressed, and I can appreciate the sensitivity to it. Having a digital safety commission of Canada, I would ultimately argue, is the right way to go. The member seemed not to oppose it when I put forward a question in terms of principle: In principle, does the Conservative Party support the idea of having a commission? She was virtually non-committal but at least did not say no. She was concerned about the makeup of the commission in that one person alone would have so much power. However, it would actually be three to five full-time commissioners who would be appointed by the Governor in Council. Of course, the chair would be running the day-to-day operations. I am hoping the Conservatives will see the merit of having such a commission. There is a level of expertise that would be warranted for something of this nature. We can also look at the power the commission would have to address international platforms that are brought into Canada or those that are within our boundaries. The impact of the Internet can and will always have a very positive role for all of us, including our children. However, it is very important to recognize that there is great potential for harm on the Internet. There are things such as algorithms and unregulated platforms, to the degree that individuals, as cited by the member of the opposition, see things about how to commit suicide, or deepfakes that cause horrendous humiliation. There is the impact that social media or chatbots can have. There are a lot of things we need to be concerned about. This legislation is about complementing parents by providing government leadership in protecting our children.”
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to address Bill C-34. I will pick up on the concern that the member from the Conservative Party officially expressed, and I can appreciate the sensitivity to it. Having a digital safety commission of Canada, I would ultimately argue, is the right way to go. The member seemed not to oppose it when I put forward a question in terms of principle: In principle, does the Conservative Party support the idea of having a commission? She was virtually non-committal but at least did not say no. She was concerned about the makeup of the commission in that one person alone would have so much power. However, it would actually be three to five full-time commissioners who would be appointed by the Governor in Council. Of course, the chair would be running the day-to-day operations. I am hoping the Conservatives will see the merit of having such a commission. There is a level of expertise that would be warranted for something of this nature. We can also look at the power the commission would have to address international platforms that are brought into Canada or those that are within our boundaries. The impact of the Internet can and will always have a very positive role for all of us, including our children. However, it is very important to recognize that there is great potential for harm on the Internet. There are things such as algorithms and unregulated platforms, to the degree that individuals, as cited by the member of the opposition, see things about how to commit suicide, or deepfakes that cause horrendous humiliation. There is the impact that social media or chatbots can have. There are a lot of things we need to be concerned about. This legislation is about complementing parents by providing government leadership in protecting our children.