Michael Geist

#3 "As a Jew" Who are the Jews against Israel, and what do they make of the current surge in hatred?

Important but infuriating episode in which the anti-Zionist Jewish guest says tripping on a sidewalk is a bigger physical risk to Canadian Jews than the shooting at schools, synagogue vandalism, and bomb threats at Jewish community centres.
www.canadaland.com/podcast/3-as...

Why Freedom of Expression Must Not Become a Right to Harass or Intimidate - Michael Geist My latest Globe and Mail op-ed opens by noting that my grandparents arrived in Canada in 1948, seeking to build a new life after surviving the Holocaust and knowing that most of their family had been ...

Open version of my op-ed: Canada protects freedom of expression as a fundamental Charter right. But while the speech is protectable, there must be consequences for those with the intent to harass or intimidate others based on their religion or political beliefs.

www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/why-...

Freedom of expression must not become a right to harass or intimidate Protests in predominantly Jewish residential areas are a reminder that we need bylaws to address intimidation, while still protecting speech

My Globe op-ed on the “protests” in residential neighbourhoods that are not aimed at a government office, institution, public event, or high-profile personality. Rather they seek to harass or intimidate individuals based on their religion or political beliefs.
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/bc5ccfd...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 251: Jennifer Pybus on the Debate Over Canadian Digital Sovereignty - Michael Geist Digital sovereignty is hot the digital policy phrase of the moment driving discussion on Canadian digital policy involving AI, digital infrastructure, privacy, and cultural policy among others. Yet de...

Digital sovereignty is hot the digital policy phrase of the moment driving discussion on Canadian digital policy involving AI, digital infrastructure, privacy, and cultural policy. But what does it really mean? Jennifer Pybus joins my Law Bytes podcast to discuss.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/the-...

Reversing the Reversal?: Government Puts Privacy Invasive Lawful Access Back on the Agenda - Michael Geist Last month, the government seemingly reversed course on its lawful access plans to grant law enforcement powers to demand warrantless access to personal information from any provider of a service in C...

Reversing the Reversal?: Government Puts Privacy Invasive Lawful Access Back on the Agenda
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/reve...

Federal Ministers Discuss Crime and Public Safety – November 19, 2025 Federal Ministers Gary Anandasangaree (public safety) and Steven MacKinnon (government House leader), alongside Ruby Sahota (secretary of state for combatting crime) make an announcement related to cr...

Warrantless access to personal info returns! Months after backing down on lawful access and shifting to Bill C-12, government reverses and urges passage of Bill C-2. Bizarre press conference falsely claims information demand powers includes judicial oversight.
www.cpac.ca/headline-pol...

We were delighted to host yesterday @emilylaidlaw.bsky.social for the Călin-Rovinescu Lecture in conversation with Jane Bailey, @mgeist.bsky.social and @f-mb.bsky.social about online freedom of expression and how hate speech is redefining our collective responsibility.

Fourth, as posted earlier today, it tables a new Stablecoin Act, modelled after the U.S. GENIUS Act.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/cana...

Third, it amends PIPEDA, the private sector privacy law, by adding a new data mobility right.

Second, it fixes the mistaken deletion of privacy safeguards in the Broadcasting Act. This provision was included in Bill C-11 and deleted soon after becoming law. No one noticed for two years.

The government's Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-15) features several notable digital policy provisions. First, it implements the repeal of the Digital Services Tax.

Canadian Government Introduces New Stablecoin Act as Part of Budget Implementation Legislation - Michael Geist The Canadian government yesterday tabled its Budget Implementation Act. Running at over 600 pages, the bill includes several notable provisions related to digital policy including the repeal of the Di...

Canadian Government Introduces New Stablecoin Act as Part of Budget Implementation Legislation
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/cana...

What Is Happening Here Anti-Jewish hate in Canada is off the charts. What is Happening Here is a raw, thorough, and honest examination of a vibrant, accepting society seized by a sudden crisis of hate.

It is happening here.
“No country in the world since October 7th has had more its synagogues threatened, vandalized, and firebombed than Canada.”
www.canadaland.com/shows/what-i...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 250: Wikimedia's Jan Gerlach on the Risks and Challenges with Digital Policy Reform - Michael Geist I’m not quite sure how this happened, but somehow this is the 250th episode of the Law Bytes podcast. To mark this milestone, I’m joined by Jan Gerlach, Wikimedia’s Director of Public Policy, who lead...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 250: Wikimedia’s Jan Gerlach (@jangerlach.bsky.social) on the Risks and Challenges with Digital Policy Reform
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/the-...

Lest We Forget. 🇨🇦 🌺

How can Canada’s AI strategy navigate competing policy objectives and ensure effective transparency? Where to land on AI regulation? My Law Bytes podcast this week reviews my AI consultation submission and committee appearance on AI and the cultural sector.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/the-...

Politico Canada reports that the government is changing its approach on online harms legislation with plans to break up the former Bill C-63 into smaller pieces with shared responsibility among several government departments.

How the Liberal and Conservative Parties Have Quietly Colluded to Undermine the Privacy Rights of Canadians - Michael Geist It hasn’t received much attention, but the government and official opposition - ie. the Liberals and Conservatives - have been quietly working to pass legislation that undermine the privacy rights of ...

Despite warnings from the Commissioner of Elections and Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Liberals and Conservatives have been quietly working to pass Bill C-4, exempting themselves from privacy law imposed on others and undermining privacy rights of Canadians.
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/how-...

Lost in Budget 2025 is that the government promised a data mobility right in PIPEDA. This comes at same time that AI Minister Evan Solomon has said he will lead on a new privacy bill in Canada. Is the privacy reform a new bill (as in C-27) or tweaks to PIPEDA?
budget.canada.ca/2025/report-...

My thread on the digital aspects of Budget 2025 including AI, stablecoins, copyright reform, IP commercialization, and fixing a privacy error. No reference to actual privacy reform though.
bsky.app/profile/mgei...

Canadian government departments are big believers that AI will be the source of reducing expenses. Finance, Justice, CRTC, Fisheries, CRA, ESDC all cite new efficiencies from AI to explain how they will meet the 15% spending reduction target in the budget.

Finally, government is going to fix its error in the Broadcasting Act, when it inadvertently deleted the privacy protection provision found in Bill C-11.

Fourth, the government also renews promise to introduce a new artists resale right in the Copyright Act.

Third, as reported earlier this week, the government plans to introduce new stablecoin legislation following a similar approach in the U.S.

Second, no surprise that there are plenty of AI related promises including money “to support a large-scale sovereign public AI infrastructure that will boost AI compute availability and support access to sovereign AI compute capacity for public and private research.”

Canadian federal budget is out. Five of the digital policy issues to note: First, the government announces a series of new measures focused on intellectual property with an emphasis on businesses using and commercializing IP.
budget.canada.ca/2025/report-...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 248: Mark Surman on Why Canada's AI Strategy Should Prioritize Public AI Models - Michael Geist AI Minister Evan Solomon’s AI public consultation – framed as a 30 day sprint – wrapped up last week with expectations that the government will unveil a new AI strategy by the end of the year. Much of...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 248: Mozilla President Mark Surman on Why Canada’s AI Strategy Should Prioritize Public AI Models
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/11/the-...

YouTube video by Michael Geist Michael Geist appearance before Heritage Committee on AI and the Creative Sector

We Need More Canada in the Training Data: My Appearance Before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on AI and the Creative Sector
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/10/we-n...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCfE...

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 247: My Senate Appearance on the Bill That Could Lead to Canada-Wide Blocking of X, Reddit and ChatGPT - Michael Geist Bill S-209, the legislative effort to establish age verification requirements for sites and services that are said to facilitate access to pornography, is back. The bill has some modest improvements f...

Last week I appeared before Senate committee on Bill S-209, warning of overbroad scope that treats social media and generative AI as pornography sites, privacy risks of age verification, and site blocking. This week’s Law Bytes podcast goes inside the hearing room
www.michaelgeist.ca/2025/10/the-...

CSIS is surprised new warrantless access to personal information from any provider of a service in Canada - everything from telcos to car rental companies - led to some pushback?! This lawful access plan needs much more than more than just more “precision”.
nationalpost.com/news/politic...