The members of the 2020 Canadian Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression represent every province and territory as well as the breadth of perspectives and diversity of Canada. The Assembly met during 18 virtual sessions between September and mid-December, 2020. Working in both official languages, the Assembly heard from more than a dozen recognized experts, including senior representatives of Google and Facebook. 

Through their deliberations, the Assembly identified five values that should shape Canada’s approach to internet regulation and unanimously endorsed 33 recommendations which they believe will help to safeguard and strengthen our democracy while reducing the prevalence of harmful and hateful speech online.

The Assembly’s recommendations aim to strengthen oversight and accountability of digital platforms; enhance international regulatory cooperation and enforcement; reduce misinformation and empower users; establish new digital rights; ensure user safety; accountability and awareness; and support independent journalism and Canadian content.

Highlights of their recommendations include:

• Establishing a new digital platforms regulator to provide public oversight;

• Developing a new national code of online conduct that would apply to all; platforms and introducing a system of platform and user penalties for breaches to this code;

• Requiring platforms to significantly enhance their content moderation systems;

• Introducing new compliance audits for digital platforms;

• Restricting the use of ‘bots’ and related automated technologies in online public forums in Canada;

• Establishing a tribunal or ‘e-courts’ system to adjudicate complaints; 

• Protecting minors by severely limiting the collection, storage, and sale of their data;

• Establishing user ownership of personal data as a norm and providing users with significantly more control over their data and content filters;

• Introducing user-friendly, standardized terms of service across all digital services that retain personal information;

• Strengthening Canada’s privacy laws as they pertain to digital services;

• Establishing new mechanisms to ensure that anonymous users are accountable for their actions;

• Strengthening public education to create awareness of digital safety and civility;

• Promoting Canadian content online;

• Ensuring tax compliance that is on par with other industries; and

• Accelerating the provision of affordable high-speed internet to all Canadians to allow equitable access 

Media inquiries? Contact Hannah Yakobi, Director of Communications, Public Policy Forum