No Platform for Hate | FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting

Add your voice

Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, cc: Steven Guilbeault, Minster of Canadian Heritage

Subject

Petition text

Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault,

I was shocked by how Donald Trump managed to incite a mob to storm the US Capitol, all with the help of social media platforms. Canadian broadcasters could never have gotten away with broadcasting Trump's false claims of election fraud the way Facebook and Twitter did.

Trump’s hateful messages would not have gone far without the help of social media platforms.

Then I learned that your government doesn't require companies like Facebook and Twitter to follow the same rules as every other Canadian media company.

If it's not okay offline, it's not okay online. Social media platforms should pay a heavy price for disseminating hate and propaganda in Canada. Please act now to amend Bill C-10 to hold these platforms accountable.

There can be no platform for hate in Canada.

Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault,

I was shocked by how Donald Trump managed to incite a mob to storm the US Capitol, all with the help of social media platforms. Canadian broadcasters could never have gotten away with broadcasting Trump's false claims of election fraud the way Facebook and Twitter did.

Trump’s hateful messages would not have gone far without the help of social media platforms.

Then I learned that your government doesn't require companies like Facebook and Twitter to follow the same rules as every other Canadian media company.

If it's not okay offline, it's not okay online. Social media platforms should pay a heavy price for disseminating hate and propaganda in Canada. Please act now to amend Bill C-10 to hold these platforms accountable.

There can be no platform for hate in Canada.

Message

First Name

Required

Last Name

Required

Phone Number

Street Address

Required

Postal Code

Required

Province

Required

Stay informed by joining the FRIENDS network. You can unsubscribe at any time.

YES! Please send me occasional news, action alerts, and opportunities to support FRIENDS.

Add your voice ↓

Our democracy is at stake.

Recently, a far-right mob stormed the US Capitol building. Offices were ransacked, documents were stolen, and five people were killed. All at the behest of Donald Trump.

Democratic institutions were attacked by an unruly mob and we can thank social media platforms for that.

Trump’s hatred would never have circulated as quickly and as efficiently without the help of social media platforms. For almost a year, Trump has been riling up his supporters in advance of an election he knew he was bound to lose. On Facebook, his supporters organized themselves into a frenzied mob, using the platform and its editorial algorithms to spread their message of hate far and wide.

Facebook’s tacit endorsement and circulation of illegal, treasonous, content would have landed any other publisher in jail. There are consequences for inciting violence. But it’s just another day at the office for Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook.

And before we get ahead of ourselves: if we’re not careful, Trump’s politics will come to Canada.

As in the United States, the Canadian government does not hold companies like Facebook and Twitter responsible for the material they publish and broadcast, even in the most extreme cases—like Trump’s incitement to his supporters to overthrow their democracy.

Tell Ottawa to strengthen the Broadcasting Act now to make sure publishers like Facebook are liable for the illegal content they disseminate.

It’s past time for the government to do its job and enforce Canadian law in the digital domain. Social media companies are publishers. Let's govern them that way.

Tell Ottawa there can be no platform for hate in Canada. Sign the petition!