Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan speaks to reporters before heading to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
OTTAWA – Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says the Liberal government is keen to tackle the problem of disinformation, but that will not include regulating the use of sources.
Members of the federal Liberal party approved a new resolution regarding disinformation that could venture into regulating journalistic practices, but O’Regan says the federal government would never implement it “on his watch.”
It calls for fighting the rise of disinformation through efforts that include holding “online information services” accountable for what they publish and barring the use of sources that cannot be traced.
O’Regan says the ramifications of such a policy, particularly on freedom of the press, would not be acceptable and as such the policy is never going to happen.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also dismissed the resolution, but there is some support within the caucus, with Toronto Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz saying it was one of the top three resolutions she voted for the party to prioritize.
None of the 24 resolutions passed by the Liberals are binding on the government but they will form part of the official Liberal policy book for at least the next eight years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.
