Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stated that his party supports criminalizing online bullying and sexual exploitation but is against punishing Canadians for their opinions. This position was made clear in response to the introduction of Bill C-63 by the Liberals, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to as a measure to safeguard Canadians online. Poilievre emphasized the need to criminalize serious acts like online victimization of children and re-victimization of abuse survivors, advocating for enforcement by law enforcement agencies and the judicial system rather than through new bureaucratic mechanisms.
However, Poilievre expressed disapproval of any attempts to restrict freedom of speech. He argued that the government should not ban opinions that differ from the prime minister’s ideology, emphasizing the importance of upholding individuals’ rights to share their viewpoints. Additionally, Poilievre highlighted the necessity of enforcing criminal bans on intimate content shared without consent, such as deepfakes, and expanding these measures to protect individuals from digital exploitation.
When approached for further clarification on the party’s stance regarding Bill C-63, Poilievre’s office chose not to provide additional details. The Tory leader had previously indicated that the party would oppose the government’s bill, citing concerns that it could lead to the criminalization of speech disapproved by the prime minister. Bill C-63 aims to address online harms by amending existing laws to regulate content related to sexual exploitation, bullying, deepfakes, and hateful conduct. The legislation proposes new hate crime offenses with severe penalties, including lifetime imprisonment for perpetrators to discourage such conduct and strengthen repercussions for offenders.