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Poilievre would repeal online harms bill after PBO report finds $200 million in new bureaucracy
The Digital Safety Commission, Ombudsman and Office will have the equivalent of 300 full-time employees
OTTAWA — Conservatives are promising to scrap the proposed federal online harms bill after the latest report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that it would create more than $200 million in new bureaucracy.
Bill C-63 would establish three new entities: the Digital Safety Commission, which is mandated to enforce the act and has the power to issue monetary penalties and fines, and the Digital Safety Ombudsperson, which will support social media users. Both will be supported by the Digital Safety Office, which manages the day-to-day operations.
Put together, the Digital Safety Commission, Ombudsman and Office will have the equivalent of 300 full-time employees at full capacity, according to preliminary estimates from the Department of Canadian Heritage provided to the PBO’s office.
In a report issued Thursday, the budget watchdog estimated that the total operating costs of these new entities in the next five years will be $201 million — minus any administrative monetary penalties or fines collected from online providers that contravene the act.
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