Online harms bill: Don't link boy's suicide with government actions, Trudeau says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that it's inappropriate to draw a link between government actions and the death of a British Columbia boy who killed himself last month after falling prey to online sextortion.
He made the comment as he faces increasing pressure to fulfil a years-old promise to legislate against online harms.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh referred to the death of the 12-year-old in Prince George, B.C., during question period as he asked Trudeau when the Liberal government will table long-promised legislation designed to mitigate online harms.
Trudeau first promised to introduce legislation tackling hate speech, terrorist content and sexual abuse material in the 2019 federal election campaign.
He made a similar promise in the 2021 contest, specifying that a re-elected Liberal government would table a bill within its first 100 days, but it has yet to do so.
Pointing to that timeline, Singh made reference to the boy's death. RCMP say he was a victim of online sextortion, which is when an individual is blackmailed under the threat that deceptively-obtained intimate images of themselves will be publicly revealed.
"More of these incidents have been happening every year," Singh said. "When will the government introduce the online harm bill to protect kids?"
Trudeau told MPs that the government needs to strike the right balance between freedom of expression and addressing the needs of communities subject to "discrimination and marginalization."
The prime minister also cautioned against "associating a tragedy that happened in Prince George with actions or inactions of any particular government," adding in French that it was inappropriate to make such a connection.
"We understand how horrific this is for the family, for the community, and we will continue to work to make sure that kids across this country are protected," he said.
"And that is why we are serious about moving forward in protecting from online harms."
Mounties said they found Carson Cleland in his home with a gunshot wound on Oct. 12, and their investigation later determined he killed himself as a result of online sextortion.
They issued a news release about his death this week as a way to warn parents about the increasing risks children face when going online.
Cleland's parents have since spoken publicly to warn families about the risks of online predators and sextortion.
In a statement following Trudeau's remarks, Singh said advocates of online safety have been calling on the government to take action to better protect children, and the New Democrats are supporting that call.
"The Liberals made a promise," Singh said. "They have delayed action on the online harms bill."
Since Trudeau shuffled his cabinet this summer, the government has shifted responsibility for the bill from the Canadian heritage minister, who has shepherded bills related to online streaming and online news, to the justice minister.
Justice Minister Arif Virani has said the bill remains a priority for the government, and said the delay is because of the difficulty of figuring out how to regulate online platforms.
The government has yet to provide a timeline for when legislation will be tabled, with Virani saying only that he hopes to do so "soon."
The House of Commons is set to take a holiday break beginning Dec. 15.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters on Tuesday that the boy's death is a "tragic reminder" of the risks online harms pose, especially to those who are vulnerable.
The Liberals have also been facing increased pressure to do something about online harms in light of the online environment since the Israel-Hamas war began.
Amid an explosion of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate online, Jewish Canadian advocacy organizations have been calling for Ottawa to deal with such speech in the bill.
Though they acknowledge the bill could stir controversy, several experts the federal government convened last year to provide advice on how to legislate protections have renewed their calls for urgent reforms in light of the war.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Turkish jets strike Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following attack on defence company
Turkiye鈥檚 air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.
Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
Local Spotlight
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.