PR
HIGHOTHERAdded 2026-03-17
Pablo Rodriguez
Former Minister of Canadian Heritage
Canadian Government (Liberal)
Freedom Threat Index82%
SEVERE THREAT TO SPEECH FREEDOM
Profile
Former Canadian Minister of Canadian Heritage and primary architect of Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act — Canada's sweeping online safety and hate speech legislation. Bill C-63 would have created a Digital Safety Commission with powers to order content removal, imposed a new hate speech regime allowing individuals to make complaints about online content, and created retroactive liability for past speech.
Key Actions & Positions
Introduced Bill C-63 (Online Harms Act) — Canada's sweeping online safety and hate speech legislation
Bill C-63 would create a Digital Safety Commission with content removal and platform compliance powers
Proposed retroactive hate speech liability — allowing complaints about speech made years before the law's passage
Bill's hate speech provisions included penalties critics described as disproportionate to a liberal democracy
Oversaw Canada's Online News Act (Bill C-18) — compelling platforms to pay news publishers, widely criticised as a speech-distorting subsidy
Tags
canadaonline-harmsplatform-regulationbill-c-63hate-speechsocial-media
Linked Incidents (2)
← Back to Censorship AdvocatesSource: Public Records