Justice Minister David Lametti’s Bill C-36 would add to the Canadian Human Rights Act a new “discriminatory practice” of communicating hate speech online; individuals or groups will be able to lodge complaints about such messages. The government is also promising to consult on “a regulatory framework to tackle harmful content online.” (The Logic)

Talking point: Individuals who post public or mass messages will be subject to the amended law if the bill passes, but social media platforms will not. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has repeatedly promised legislation to set rules for how sites that host user-generated content should respond to posts that involve terrorism, violence and child sexual explotation as well as hate speech. But the House of Commons adjourned for the summer recess on Wednesday afternoon, so he won’t be introducing it before September at the earliest. Nor will Lametti’s bill move, and with fall election-speculation rampant, the announcements are likely positioning for a campaign rather than imminent new regulation.