Meditations on death, evil, scandals, and other Online Harms

The Line

In this week's The Line Podcast, recorded on March 1, 2024, Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney discuss evil, death and growing old. All cheerful stuff. First they offer quick thoughts and condolences on the passing of former prime minister Brian Mulroney.

Then they delve into the Liberals' proposed Online Harms Act, and conclude that while most of it is reasonable and does attempt to deal with legitimate and pressing concerns — like inappropriate revenge related material, and content related to the exploitation of underage peoples — the Liberals have gone off the rails in their attempts to reign in "hate speech" by reviving Section 13, a loathed and rejected provision that this country had already spent years litigating, and ultimately throwing up. The Online Harms Act will further empower Human Rights Tribunals to crack down on "hate speech" with a threat of serious fines.

The bill introduces house arrest for pre-crime — it would allow authorities to impinge upon the liberties of individuals whom they believe might commit hate speech.

The dynamic duo go on to discuss the latest information about the Chinese infiltration of the Winnipeg-based National Microbiology Lab, and the abuse of terms like "national security" to cover for embarrassment, folly, and failure. Then they lay into the latest drama from the ArriveCan scam — in which the federal government managed to spend $59 million on a phone app that now involves a PPC candidate and CEO who was apparently using his full-time job at the Department of National Defence as a side hustle. Amazing country, this.

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