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Modern slavery and human trafficking reporting: Maritime supply chain risks
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 50 million people globally were living in modern slavery on any given day in 2021.
On February 26, the Government of Canada published the text of its latest rules for the internet.
The Online Harms Act, introduced formally as Bill C-63, will result in the most significant expansion of Canada’s hate speech laws and create one of North America’s most rigid regulatory environments for media and social media companies.
The bill follows on the heels of the Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11), which became law on April 27, 2023, and introduced Canadian content requirements for commercial streaming services and social media platforms to be implemented by the CRTC.
Together, the two pieces of legislation will overhaul how companies that do business online are regulated in Canada.
The Online Harms Act is currently at second reading in the House of Commons. If the bill comes into force in its current form:
Bill C-63 is subject to further review by Parliament.
In light of the attention the government has drawn to this legislation, however, we expect the bill to become law in the near term.
Like the Online Streaming Act, the Online Harms Act will very likely leave it to the new regulatory entities that it creates to adopt regulations and policies that will set out in greater detail how the new laws will be applied, the information demands that the new regulators will be able to make of companies operating online, procedures for audits and regulatory proceedings to enforce the new laws, and the consultation framework for the new procedures.
Companies should be prepared to engage in the legislative and consultation processes to ensure that regulators and policymakers are aware of the potential impacts of the new rules on businesses.
The author would like to thank Katie Cheung, articling student, for her contribution to preparing this legal update.
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According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 50 million people globally were living in modern slavery on any given day in 2021.
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Cross-border acquisitions and investments increasingly trigger foreign direct investment (FDI) screening requirements.
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On February 2, 2024, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union confirmed that the Committee of Permanent Representatives had signed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Regulation, referred to as the AI Act. Approval by the EU Parliament followed on 13 March 2024, and the AI Act is likely to appear in the EU’s Official Journal around May 2024. The AI Act aims to establish a stringent legal framework governing the development, marketing, and utilisation of artificial intelligence within the region, thereby marking a significant advancement in the regulation of this burgeoning domain.
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