Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed a new Minister of Canadian Heritage, Steven Guilbeault, giving him the task, apart from everything else, to regulate "hate speech" on the Internet, the government announced in an official mandate letter.
In the letter, Trudeau has authorised the new cabinet member to "create new regulations for social media platforms, starting with a requirement that all platforms remove illegal content, including hate speech, within 24 hours or face significant penalties".
"This should include other online harms such as radicalisation, incitement to violence, exploitation of children, or creation or distribution of terrorist propaganda", the letter said.
Canada went through a new parliamentary vote two months ago, which resulted in the governing Liberal Party losing its majority but still coming in first place. Following the election disappointment, opposition leader Andrew Scheer has also resigned as the head of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC).
Despite his re-election, it has been a tough time for the Canadian premier recently, who has historically been a strong champion of diversity and political correctness. His 2019 election campaign, however, was marked by a serious of scandals, including a row over a picture of him wearing "blackface".
Trudeau's Liberal Party has had a majority in the House of Commons since 2015.