Bill S-209, Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act
Proposed
Bill S-209, An Act to restrict young persons' online access to pornographic material, 45th Parliament, 1st Session (successor to Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons' online access to sexually explicit material, 44th Parliament, which died on prorogation January 6, 2025)
Applies to private
Would make it an offence for an organization to make sexually explicit material available to young persons on the internet for commercial purposes, and would let a designated enforcement authority apply to the Federal Court to order internet service providers to block a noncompliant website. Sponsored by Senator Julie Miville-Dechene, the bill passed the Senate on April 15, 2026 and is now before the House of Commons at second reading.
| Age threshold | 18 |
| Penalties | Fines up to 250,000 Canadian dollars for a first offence and up to 500,000 Canadian dollars for subsequent offences, plus court-ordered website blocking for noncompliance |
| Enforcement body | Enforcement authority to be designated by the Governor in Council (department officials have suggested the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, not yet formalized in the bill text) |
| Private suits | no |
Source: Bill S-209, An Act to restrict young persons' online access to pornographic material, 45th Parliament, 1st Session (successor to Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons' online access to sexually explicit material, 44th Parliament, which died on prorogation January 6, 2025)
Bill C-34, Safe Social Media Act
Proposed
Bill C-34, An Act to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act, 45th Parliament, 1st Session
Applies to private
Would enact the Digital Safety Act and establish the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, reintroducing the Commission proposed in the earlier Bill C-63, and would additionally bar social media services from allowing account access to minors under 16, subject to a conditional exemption for services that demonstrate sufficient safeguards for younger users. Introduced by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture on June 10, 2026, the bill is at second reading in the House of Commons.
| Age threshold | 16 |
| Enforcement body | Digital Safety Commission of Canada (to be established by the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act) |
Source: Bill C-34, An Act to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act, 45th Parliament, 1st Session
Bill C-63, Online Harms Act (44th Parliament)
Superseded
Bill C-63, An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service, 44th Parliament, 1st Session
Applies to private
Would have created the Online Harms Act and a Digital Safety Commission of Canada with a duty on large social media and user-content platforms to protect children and reduce their exposure to harmful content. Introduced by the Minister of Justice on February 26, 2024, the bill died on the order paper when Parliament was prorogued on January 6, 2025, and its provisions were later split into the Combatting Hate Act (Bill C-9, hate speech) and the Safe Social Media Act (Bill C-34, child safety and the Digital Safety Commission).
| Penalties | Proposed administrative monetary penalties up to the greater of 6 percent of gross global revenue or 10,000,000 Canadian dollars, and criminal penalties up to the greater of 8 percent of gross global revenue or 25,000,000 Canadian dollars |
| Enforcement body | Proposed Digital Safety Commission of Canada, Digital Safety Ombudsperson and Digital Safety Office (never established, the bill died before passage) |
| Private suits | no |
Source: Bill C-63, An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service, 44th Parliament, 1st Session