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"... a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." ~John F. Kennedy, 1962
Senator Pamela Wallin
7,050 posts
Senator Pamela Wallin
@SenatorWallin
Parliamentarian. Former Diplomat and Journalist. Order of Canada recipient. Proudly representing rural Saskatchewan.
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
Bill C-34: Government officials are reportedly considering digital ID as an age-verification solution. According to privacy expert and law professor @mgeist, government officials told participants at a technical briefing that they are exploring “leveraging government ID systems”Sitting in on a technical briefing for Bill C-34, where officials just said looking into different methods for age assurance. Mentioned the prospect of leveraging government ID systems (digital IDs?), third parties, or companies themselves. Clear they really don’t know right now. - Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
Open-ended obligations, sweeping regulatory powers and a looming social media ban for children under 16 in Bill C-34, the Social Media Safety Act, threaten civil liberties. Read more: - Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
"When something of that scale occurs and it is occurring in real time... it is important to be present and to investigate" After October 7th, Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, funded her own trip to Israel to witness and document the horrors of
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
Must read overview of Bill #C34 'Safe Social Media Act' Canada's new online harms law. From @IRPlawyer kylaleelawyer.substack.com/p/canadas-new-… #freespeech #socialmedia #children #cdnpoli
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
Ending anonymity. Expanding speech bans. State-ordered takedowns. These are pillars of the Internet in China, Russia, and Iran. Increasingly, they have become features of European policy. In @ForeignAffairs, @JMchangama examines how Europe lost the plot on online speech.
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
Finally, some decent reporting. Well done @globeandmail It was pretty clear early on that the U.S. would never agree to extend the USMCA in the upcoming review process, even with a few adjustments here and there. And it was a given that the U.S. could always file notice ofNorth American free trade is gone, dead and buried theglobeandmail.com/business/comme…
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
'Think of the children': Public policy panel questions Liberals' under-16 social media ban Panellists wonder if the legislation will do more harm than good - Senator Pamela Wallin repostedThough most of Bill C-34 Safe Social Media Act are left to regulations or Commission rulemaking, it is clear that once it comes into effect young people will be precluded from learning about this law on this site, and all Canadians will have to prove they old enough to handle it.
- Senator Pamela Wallin repostedI was asked earlier today whether I thought Bill C-34 would achieve its objective. My answer was that I have no idea because most important decisions and measures are kicked down the road. Check out Michael's table.The government’s digital safety bill regulates social media services, AI chatbots, and potentially any other online service or application. Who is targeted? What criteria for regulation? Bill C-34 doesn't say. It leaves all of those decisions to cabinet. x.com/mgeist/status/…
- Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
What AI chatbots does Bill C-34 cover? The bill has a definition but cabinet can shrink it by regulation AND the DSC can expand list of prohibited harmful behaviours. So whether inside or outside the regime and what duties if inside are both moving targets x.com/mgeist/status/…
My post on how the government framed online safety as urgent, yet Bill C-34 defers 50 key decisions. That includes which social media services are covered and what counts as age verification. All overseen by a Digital Safety Commission that does not exist. michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/the-la… - Senator Pamela Wallin reposted
NEW: AI Minister Evan Solomon is expected to table legislation next week to modernize Canada’s privacy laws. The bill will make privacy a fundamental right, protect children and curb misuse of personal information, including for surveillance pricing. - Senator Pamela Wallin repostedMy post on why if your idea of dealing urgently with online harms is requiring age verification of the majority of Canadians, taking years to implement, and be led by an enforcement agency that doesn't even exist yet, the Safe Social Media Act is for you.
