Greg Essensa, the chief electoral officer in Ontario, now wants greater powers to fight whatever is deemed 'misinformation', as well as the ability to more effectively remove content branded as 'false and misleading.' 

Citing rapidly advancing AI and its apparent potential to spread “misinformation,” Essensa is out to persuade legislators that the current powers his office has – laboring constrained by the Election Act and the Election Finances Act – are “insufficient.” 

In other words, he is seeking to increase his own power in a threat to democracy, free speech, and freedom of the press in Canada. 

Ontario’s freedom of speech must be protected – send an urgent message today. 

Essensa wants “automated election ads” to be labeled, along with “swift” removal of content, and other proposed more stringent measures. 

For those found not in compliance regarding political ads, the electoral chief wants fines of up to $20,000 CAD for an individual and up to $100,000 for a company. 

As for “misleading content” concerning elections, the recommendation is to penalize individuals and companies up to $20,000 and $50,000 per day respectively. 

Ontario’s freedom of speech must be protected – send an urgent message today. 

This Orwellian censorship, if allowed to be carried out, will be a grave threat to the people of Ontario. Not only will it restrict access to information and opinions different from the mainstream narrative, but it will also be weaponized for political purposes.  

We must take a stand in this matter to show that we will not allow such a violation of our rights.