Trudeau says his government would never implement Liberal party policy on traceable online sources
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear on Tuesday that a government led by him would not ever implement the recently passed Liberal party policy aimed at fighting disinformation online by requiring platforms to have 鈥渕aterial whose sources can be traced.鈥
鈥淟iberals, like all Canadians, are right to be worried about misinformation and disinformation and wanting to make sure that Canadians are protected from it. However, that policy is not a policy we would ever implement,鈥 Trudeau told reporters on Parliament Hill, speaking about a non-binding policy passed at the party鈥檚 national policy convention last weekend.
The policy drew criticism leading up to and after Liberal delegates deliberated it, over concerns it would amount to government censorship and could force journalists to reveal their unnamed sources.
Put forward by federal Liberals in British Columbia, the policy had the stated goal of fighting disinformation online, calling on the government to 鈥渆xplore options鈥 to hold online information services accountable 鈥渇or the veracity of material published on their platforms and to limit publication only to material whose sources can be traced.鈥
It was one of 24 resolutions passed, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it will become a Liberal government policy.
Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor and the Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law, wrote in a blog post last week the policy could amount to 鈥渉eavy-handed speech regulation,鈥 while 鈥渢he inclusion of internet platforms could lead to widespread content censorship.鈥
Geist said the policy could raise several questions around journalists and their use of unnamed sources and whistleblowers.
Also voicing concerns over the proposal鈥檚 potential implications, Conservative MP and Canadian heritage critic Rachael Thomas called the resolution 鈥渄isheartening鈥 even if the authors of the resolution did not intend to target journalists.
Trudeau鈥檚 insistence Tuesday that, so long as he鈥檚 at the helm, this proposal won鈥檛 make it into the party鈥檚 election platform builds on a similar statement from Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez on Monday, who indicated a Liberal government 鈥渨ould never implement a policy that would limit freedom of the press or dictate how journalists would do their work.鈥
鈥淲e will never ... harm journalists' capacity to do the professional independent work that they do,鈥 Trudeau said.
PM CRITICIZES INTERNET GIANTS FOR RESPONSE TO ONLINE 麻豆影视 BILL
Trudeau also took aim at the tech giant Meta on Tuesday, calling it 鈥渙ut of touch鈥 for its response to the government鈥檚 Online Streaming Act, Bill C-18.
The bill 鈥 which is at the committee stage in the Senate 鈥 would require internet giants to compensate Canadian media companies for making news content available on their platforms.
The Canadian Press reported Tuesday that Meta Canada public policy head Rachel Curran told the House of Commons heritage committee the company has a content-blocking team prepared to scrap news on its social media platforms if the bill passes.
In response to comments from Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner at committee that blocking news from Meta鈥檚 social media sites could lead to a rise in misinformation and disinformation if people are looking for information elsewhere, Curran said it鈥檚 a business decision.
鈥淲e believe that news has a real social value,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he problem is that it doesn鈥檛 have much of an economic value to Meta.鈥
Trudeau meanwhile said Tuesday that argument is 鈥渘ot just flawed, it鈥檚 dangerous to our democracy, to our economy.鈥
"Putting aside the jobs and communities that are supported by local journalism, by professional journalists, understanding what's going on in the world around us is an essential service,鈥 Trudeau said. 鈥淏eing able to challenge authorities and powers in democracies and in non-democracies is a fundamental part of what we're doing, and what how we create a better and fairer society forever.鈥
In response to C-18, Google also did a test run of blocking certain users from seeing news links in February.
"Woodward and Bernstein weren't influencers,鈥 Trudeau also said. 鈥淪omeone reporting on the horrors in Bucha (Ukraine) is not trying to get 'likes' on their Facebook page. Journalism is essential.鈥
鈥淭he fact that Facebook is still saying that it doesn't want to pay journalists for the work they do shows how deeply irresponsible and out of touch they are with how we need to ensure all of us, we're protecting our democracies,鈥 he added.
With files from CTVNews.ca鈥檚 Daniel Otis and Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello
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
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group鈥檚 senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.