Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act
The federal government has introduced proposed legislation to create a new digital safety framework for social media, chatbot and other online services. Introduced for first reading on June 10, 2026, Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, would enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act, establishing new duties for operators of regulated services and creating the Digital Safety Commission of Canada to administer and enforce the proposed regime. While Bill C-34 does not contain explicit provisions targeted at charities and not-for-profits (NFPs), the Bill contains provisions that may impact charities and NFPs that operate online platforms, interactive websites or applications, AI chatbot services, or other digital services that could fall within the proposed regime.
The proposed Digital Safety Act would apply to operators of regulated social media services, regulated chatbot services, and other regulated online services. Among other measures, Bill C-34 would impose duties on operators to protect children, act responsibly, and be transparent. These duties would include requirements concerning harmful content, child-protection design features, access to pornographic content, user tools to block other users and flag harmful content, labelling of certain synthetic content, digital safety plans, and measures concerning AI chatbot services. Bill C-34 would also establish processes for certain complaints to the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, including complaints concerning content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, and intimate content communicated without consent.
Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act
Federal hate-crime legislation that was previously discussed in the September 2025 and March 2026 Charity & NFP Law Updates has now received Royal Assent and will be brought into force on July 18, 2026. Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, received Royal Assent on June 18, 2026, following a Senate amendment that was approved by the House of Commons. The Bill amends the Criminal Code concerning hate propaganda, hate crime, and access to religious or cultural places. Among other measures, it creates new offences concerning intimidation, obstruction, or interference with access to places of worship and other specified places used by identifiable groups, creates a new hate crime offence for federal offences motivated by hatred based on specified grounds, and creates a new offence concerning the public display of certain terrorism or hate symbols.
As discussed in the March 2026 Charity & NFP Law Update, one of the more debated aspects of Bill C-9 was the proposed repeal of the existing Criminal Code exemption to hate speech for a person who, in good faith, “expressed or attempted to establish by an argument or an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.” While various stakeholders, including religious and civil liberties groups, expressed concern that removing the exemption could have implications for freedom of religion and expression, that repeal is nonetheless now part of the enacted legislation.
The Bill also includes “for greater certainty” provisions stating that the relevant hate propaganda provisions do not prohibit a person from communicating a statement on a matter of public interest, including an educational, religious, political, or scientific statement made in the course of a discussion, publication, or debate, if the person does not wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group or wilfully promote antisemitism by condoning, denying, or downplaying the Holocaust.
Bill C-30, the Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act
Federal Bill C-30, the Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act, was introduced in the House of Commons for First Reading on April 29, 2026, and subsequently received Royal Assent on June 18, 2026. Bill C-30 implements certain measures previously announced in the federal government’s Spring Economic Update 2026, which was reviewed in the April 2026 Charity & NFP Law Update. As reported, the Spring Economic Update 2026 included several measures relevant to the charity and not-for-profit sector, including proposed charitable sector modernization, confirmation of the government’s intention to proceed with certain previously announced tax and related measures, and various grants and funding measures.
However, Bill C-30 does not implement the above-noted measures specifically impacting the charity and not-for-profit sector. As a result, while Bill C-30 implements certain measures from the Spring Economic Update 2026, those interested in the sector-specific measures discussed in the April 2026 Charity & NFP Law Update will need to continue monitoring Parliament for new bills or consultations addressing those measures.
Bill C-36 Proposes New Federal Privacy Framework
Bill C-36, An Act to enact the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and to make amendments to other Acts was introduced in the House of Commons for First Reading on June 15, 2026. The bill would enact the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and make related amendments to other Acts. If enacted, Bill C-36 would move Canada’s federal private-sector privacy framework out of Part 1 of PIPEDA and establish a new regime governing personal information collected, used, or disclosed in the course of commercial activities. Carters will provide an analysis of Bill C-36 in a future issue of the Charity & NFP Law Update.