In the news today: Canadians wary of online regulation, according to new poll

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Canadians wary of online regulation: poll

A new survey suggests fewer than half of Canadians believe Ottawa’s plan to regulate social media sites will make platforms safer.

Polling firm Leger asked just over 1,500 Canadians about the Liberal government’s proposal to enact a suite of measures meant to make social media platforms safer, particularly for children.

Half of respondents say they are wary of the government’s ability to protect free speech, while a majority say they support its controversial proposal to introduce stiffer sentences for hate speech crimes.

Critics warn introducing tougher penalties could chill free speech, while Justice Department officials say the law will only apply to the most extreme speech.

Rae: intervention best chance to heal Haiti crisis

Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations says a looming military intervention is the best chance Haiti has of uprooting gangs that have wrought escalating chaos on the Caribbean nation for years.

Rae attended a Monday meeting in Jamaica with several Caribbean leaders, along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, aimed at finding a solution to the crisis.

After the meeting, Haiti’s unelected prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to leave office once a transitional presidential council is created. The move comes after months of pressure from Canada and its peers.

Here’s what else we’re watching …

Trudeau, Alberta premier to meet up in Calgary

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet up face-to-face in Calgary today.

Smith’s office says the two will meet in the morning, and Smith will head to Edmonton to speak to reporters at a subsequent news conference.

The two leaders have not met in person since last summer at the Calgary Stampede festival.

Smith’s office did not say what is on the agenda for the meeting.

MPs to question main ArriveCan contractor

MPs will have another chance to question the people behind the main contract for the ArriveCan app at a House committee meeting today.

This will mark the third time GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth testifies before MPs, with his business partner Darren Anthony set to meet the committee on Thursday.

The two IT recruiters did not build the app, but were tasked by the federal government with assembling a team to complete certain parts of the project, which had an overall cost of $60 million.

Ontario’s 34-year-old police law gets overhaul

An overhaul of Ontario’s 34-year-old law governing policing in the province is set to take effect next month, covering everything from oversight to discipline to more easily allowing the suspension of officers without pay.

The Community Safety and Policing Act now has an implementation date of April 1st, a full five years after it was passed.

The new act is huge — with a whopping 263 sections — but new rules allowing police chiefs to suspend officers without pay in some circumstances are among those likely to garner the most public attention.

Tech helps grain farmers confront weather woes

British Columbia grain farmer Malcolm Odermatt says all he can do is pray for rain this spring after repeated droughts sabotaged much of his harvest last year.

Odermatt, who is also the president of the B.C. Grain Growers Association, says seeding typically begins in May, but the Peace region where he farms has been experiencing drought, which could again upend the growing season again.

Lenore Newman, the director of the food and agriculture institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, says swings in weather come as about one per cent of B.C. farmers are leaving the sector each year.

She says the only way forward is to adapt with technology and she’s calling for more government research and funding for universities to find agricultural advancements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press