Canada proposes new laws to regulate online harms and deepfakes

Canada's federal government is preparing new online harms legislation, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon told reporters on Jan. 23, 2026. He said Culture Minister Marc Miller will introduce the bill. Solomon also said the government's separate privacy bill could add a 'right to deletion' for deepfakes. (The Canadian Press / CityNews, Jan. 23–24, 2026.)

Officials say the online harms bill would be separate from the privacy package. It is also distinct from a justice bill that partly criminalizes non-consensual intimate deepfakes. Ottawa tabled an online harms act in 2024 that never became law. That 2024 draft included a 24‑hour takedown requirement for sexually victimizing content and non-consensual intimate imagery. Multiple outlets report the government is weighing raising the minimum social‑media age from 13 to 14. Cabinet discussion could happen next month. (CityNews; Torontoer; Seoul Economic Daily; Globe and Mail; Politico.)

Ministries have not released bill text. Ministers say details will follow. If enacted, the package could combine expedited removal rules with new privacy deletion pathways for AI‑generated imagery. Platforms and privacy engineers would need to support authenticated removal requests, provenance tracking, and faster moderation SLAs.

Why It Matters

• Platforms should prepare for faster takedown SLAs and potential regulator oversight — the 2024 draft included a 24‑hour takedown window for intimate content.
• Privacy and data teams must design deletion workflows for synthetic media: a future 'right to delete' for deepfakes would require provenance capture, request authentication, and audit logging.
• Product and legal teams should track cabinet timelines; raising the minimum social‑media age to 14 could require age verification and account design changes for youth.