James Anthony
Published:July 3, 2021
-The Post Millennial
MP Pierre Poilievre (PC-Carleton) released a video Saturday where he announced that Bill C-10, the controversial bill that would have regulated Canadians’ content online, has failed to pass through the Senate before summer break.
"We did it!": MP @PierrePoilievre celebrates the fact that the Senate has closed its doors for the summer without passing Bill C-10, making it nearly impossible for Trudeau's Liberals to make their censorship dreams reality. pic.twitter.com/H3oG0d7scP
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 3, 2021
“We did it! We won a battle for freedom of expression!” Poilievre announced. “Remember Bill C-10, the censorship bill that would allow governments to control what you see and say online? Well, the Senate closed its doors for the summer without passing that bill.”
“In other words, it is not the law today, and if Trudeau calls that early election he’s been warning about, then the bill will die. Even if he wins that election, he’d have to re-introduce the bill from the very first stage and start all over again,” he said.
“And if he loses and Conservatives take office, we’ll make sure this bill never again sees the light of day,” Poilievre vowed. “Conservatives used every single procedural tool in our toolkit to delay and block this terrible bill from advancement. We stopped it from being rammed through the House of Commons, probably delaying it for about three or four crucial weeks, that ran the clock and prevented the Senate, even thought it has a Trudeau majority, from passing it.”
“That said, it is only the beginning of your fight. While your efforts to sign petitions, contact politicians and raise your voice worked this time, you’ll need to do it again,” Poilievre explained.
“There’s no doubt that the authoritarian left, the liberal media and Justin Trudeau’s small group of power-hungry Liberals will once again attempt to take away your freedom to express yourself, online and in other ways,” he stated.
“…. Let’s make sure that we’re ready the next time Trudeau and his team come for our freedom of expression. But for now, let’s take a moment to celebrate. We can have victories if we stand on principle and do the right thing, we can win.”
Stephen Guilbeault has stated that the bill’s intention is to “regulate the internet and social media in the same way that it regulates national broadcasting.”
When asked what the effects of the bill might look like, the Trudeau minister stated that Canadians would see “more “indigenous storytelling” as well as content from “racialized community-owned media.” He also said that the enforcement of his internet censorship bill must adhere to “the government’s vision.”
Critics, however, have been quick to point out that Bill C-10 is an attempt by the government to censor the internet use of Canadians.
Bill C-10 was passed in the House in an unconventional late night vote, which drew even more negative attention.
