National

Online harms bill: Don't link boy's suicide with government actions, Trudeau says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Nov, 2023 02:17 PM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says 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.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh referred to the death of the 12-year-old in Prince George, B.C., during question period today 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.

Trudeau told MPs today 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.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Guilty plea in Chinatown stabbings

A 44-year-old Vancouver man has pleaded guilty to two separate, unprovoked stabbings that happened in -- or near -- the city's Chinatown neighbourhood in September of last year. In one stabbing, a cyclist working as a food delivery driver had his throat slashed but survived, while police say the other victim suffered "life-altering" injuries.

Guilty plea in Chinatown stabbings

Avian flu at Chilliwack poultry

Avian flu has been detected in birds at a second commercial poultry operation in Chilliwack. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the infection was confirmed yesterday -- four days after another farm was quarantined and its flock was ordered destroyed to halt the spread of the highly infectious illness.

Avian flu at Chilliwack poultry

Rules were followed in alleged Islamophobic incident involving U.K. MP: Air Canada

Air Canada says its staff followed procedure when it delayed a British MP for extra questions in what has been described as an Islamophobic incident during a recent diplomatic trip to Canada. Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning at London’s Heathrow Airport while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through, and was stopped again at airports in Montreal and Toronto.

Rules were followed in alleged Islamophobic incident involving U.K. MP: Air Canada

Food Banks Canada report paints dire picture of Canada-wide affordability crisis

There are many heartbreaking tales behind the record number of Canadians using food banks as they struggle with high inflation and mounting housing costs, says a Vancouver food bank executive. More and more people are accessing its services each year, and with greater frequency than in the past, Boulter said, as low wages and high rents squeeze people between inflation and other rising costs.

Food Banks Canada report paints dire picture of Canada-wide affordability crisis

B.C. moves up zero-emission vehicle target, with 100-per-cent sales goal by 2035

The British Columbia government is taking steps to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles to meet its 100-per-cent sales target five years sooner than initially planned. If passed, the legislation to amend the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act would increase access and choice for electric vehicle buyers, as new provincial funding expands the charging network, a statement from the Energy Ministry said.

B.C. moves up zero-emission vehicle target, with 100-per-cent sales goal by 2035

More than half of B.C. businesses in survey reported cyberattacks in past year

Global accounting firm KPMG says cybercrime is a growing issue in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. The firm says a survey of 700 Canadian businesses conducted last month revealed that more than half of those in Vancouver and on the island had been hit by cyberattacks in the last year.