The (Still Secret) Online Harms Consultation: What the Government Heard, Part Two - Michael Geist

Last week, I posted on the results of this summer's online harms consultation, which remains shrouded in secrecy as the Canadian government still refuses to disclose the hundreds of submissions it received. That post focused on the common concerns...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 113: The Year in Canadian Digital Law and Policy - Michael Geist

The past year has been an incredibly active one for Canadian digital law and policy with legislative battles over Bill C-10, controversial consultations on online harms and copyright, important Supreme Court decisions, new digital taxes, and an...

Why the Digital Services Tax Act Violates Canada's OECD Commitment to a Tax Moratorium - Michael Geist

The Canadian government's decision to move ahead with the Digital Services Tax Act, legislation that will take effect in 2024 should the international agreement at the OECD fail to materialize by that date, is problematic for reasons that extend...

Should Have Seen This Coming: U.S. Raises Prospect of Retaliation Over Canada's Digital Services Tax Plans - Michael Geist

For the past two years, Canadian digital tax policy has been on a collision course with Canadian trade policy. The Liberal government committed in the 2019 election campaign to a digital services tax primarily designed to target large U.S....

The (Still Secret) Online Harms Consultation: What the Government Heard, Part One - Michael Geist

The results of this summer's online harms consultation remains largely shrouded in secrecy as the Canadian government still refuses to disclose the hundreds of submissions it received. Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez now leads the file,...

Canada Threatens to Delay Copyright Term Extension in Response to U.S. Electronic Vehicle Tax Credit Plan - Michael Geist

Trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. have been rising in recent weeks with the U.S. Build Back Better Act proposing to create a tax credit for electronic vehicles that Canadian officials argue violates the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. The...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 112: Aaron Perzanowski on the Right to Repair - Michael Geist

The right to repair, whether consumer electronics, farm machinery or even health and medical equipment, is an issue that affects everyone. Given the implications for consumer and property rights, the sustainability of the agricultural sector, and...

The Canadian Government's Groundhog Day Copyright Consultations: The Never-Ending Lobbying Battle for Website Blocking and Weakened User Rights Continues - Michael Geist

Copyright did not figure prominently in either the government's election platform or the Speech from the Throne, but the two departments responsible for copyright policy - Innovation, Science and Industry led by Francois-Philippe Champagne and...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 111: The Story Behind JusTech - How Three University of Ottawa Law Students Created a Technology Compliance Solution for Privacy Breach Rules - Michael Geist

Privacy breaches have become increasingly commonplace as businesses of all sizes grapple with how to  keep customer information secure and what to do when things go wrong. The issue is particularly challenging for small and medium sized business,...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 107: Addison Cameron-Huff on the State of Crypto and Blockchain Regulation in Canada - Michael Geist

From Bitcoin to NFTs, interest in crypto and the blockchain has never been greater. Millions of people around the world invest in various crypto currencies, exchanges seem to pop-up daily, and for better or worse the pace of innovation and new...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 105: NDP MP Charlie Angus on Canada's Failed Digital Policy and His Hopes for the Next Parliamentary Session - Michael Geist

NDP MP Charlie Angus has been a consistent - and persistent - voice on digital policies since his election to the House of Commons in 2004. He was one of the first MPs to seriously consider user rights within Canadian copyright law, a vocal...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 103: Privacy Reform Comes to Canada - Chantal Bernier on the Passage of Quebec's Bill 64 - Michael Geist

Privacy reform in Canada has lagged at the federal level with the efforts to update PIPEDA seemingly going nowhere, but multiple provinces have moved ahead with amending their own laws. Quebec leads the way as late last month it quietly passed...

Failure to Balance Freedom of Expression and Protection from Online Harms: My Submission to the Government's Consultation on Addressing Harmful Content Online - Michael Geist

The government's consultation on its proposed approach to address harmful content online concluded over the weekend. The consultation was one of several consults that ran during the election period and which raise questions about whether policy...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 102: Colleen Flood on the Legal, Ethical and Policy Implications of Vaccine Passports - Michael Geist

Vaccine passports or certificates launched in Ontario last week, a development welcomed by some and strongly opposed by others. The launch raises a myriad of legal, ethical, privacy, and policy issues as jurisdictions around the world grapple with...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 101: OpenMedia's Laura Tribe on Digital Policy and the 2021 Canadian Election - Michael Geist

It is election day in Canada following a late summer campaign in which the focus was largely anything but digital issues: COVID, climate change, Afghanistan, and affordability all dominated the daily talking points. The digital policy issues that...