Will the online harms bill add enforcement, or just bureaucracy? PBO says Canadians will decide

It's up to Canadians to decide whether they believe the government's proposal to create a new online harms regulator amounts to bureaucracy or a necessary enforcement tool, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux suggests.

Earlier this year, the government introduced a bill that aims to reduce exposure to harmful content online, including the sexual victimization of children, sharing intimate content without permission and content that promotes hatred, violence or extremism.

The proposed law, dubbed the Online Harms Act, would create a digital safety commission tasked with enforcement, an ombudsperson to aid Canadians and a new administrative office to support both.

Canadian Heritage estimates that it will take more than 300 people to staff those entities, and last week Giroux issued a report suggesting that would come at a cost of around $201 million over five years.

Justice Minister Arif Virani says the law is needed to compel social media companies to better protect Canadians, especially minors.

But Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to scrap the legislation, pointing to Giroux's cost estimate as proof the law is just creating more bureaucracy.

He has slammed the bill as an attempt at censorship by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, despite Virani and justice officials saying it would respect the Charter right to free speech.

«You can say it's more bureaucracy or it's giving teeth to the legislation by ensuring there's an enforcement arm that's there to ensure the act is respected,» Giroux said in an interview on Monday.

«But the fact is, according to the government, they'll need 330 employees. You can say it's bureaucrats. You can say it's the necessary tools.»

The bill was introduced in February but