Canada’s new laws over the past two years reshape how streaming platforms treat Canadian content, who can buy a home, how bail works for repeat weapon offenses, how businesses advertise, and how some prescription drugs are paid for. Several other high-profile bills, including proposals on online harms, privacy and artificial intelligence, and a higher capital gains tax, did not become law. Here is what passed, what it means, and what was dropped when Parliament was prorogued in January 2025.
Streaming Services and Online News
The Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) is the first major rewrite of the Broadcasting Act since 1991. It brings online streaming services under the same federal oversight that has long applied to television and radio. Platforms operating in Canada are expected to showcase and financially support Canadian stories and music in English, French, and Indigenous languages, and to make programming accessible to people with disabilities.1Government of Canada. Online Streaming Act
The Online News Act (Bill C-18) requires large digital platforms to negotiate commercial agreements with Canadian news organizations whose content they distribute. The CRTC administers the mandatory bargaining process.2Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Implementing the Online News Act Google committed $100 million in annual support, indexed to inflation, distributed to Canadian news businesses through the Canadian Journalism Collective.3Government of Canada. CRTC Approves Google’s Application and Paves Way for Annual $100 Million Contribution to Canadian News Organizations Meta chose to block news content on its platforms in Canada rather than bargain.
Foreign Buyers of Residential Property
The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act blocks people who are not citizens or permanent residents from buying residential real estate in Canada. It was set to expire on January 1, 2025, and has been extended to January 1, 2027.4Department of Finance Canada. Government Announces Two-Year Extension to Ban on Foreign Ownership of Canadian Housing
The ban covers detached and semi-detached houses with up to three dwelling units, condominiums, and similar residential properties in census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations. Corporations not incorporated under Canadian law, or controlled by non-citizens, also fall under the restriction. A violation carries a fine of up to $10,000 for the buyer and for anyone who knowingly helps with the purchase, and courts can order a forced sale.5Department of Justice Canada. Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
Some temporary residents are carved out. Work permit holders can buy one residential property if they have at least 183 days of validity left on the permit at the time of purchase.6Department of Justice Canada. Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Regulations International students face tighter conditions: enrollment at a designated learning institution, Canadian tax returns filed for each of the previous five years, physical presence in Canada of at least 244 days in each of those years, a purchase price of no more than $500,000, and no previous purchase while the ban has been in effect.7Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act
Bail Reform for Repeat Weapon Offenses
Bill C-48 changed who bears the burden at a bail hearing in specific serious cases. Prosecutors normally have to show “just cause” for keeping an accused person in custody. Under the new rule, if the accused is charged with a serious weapon offense and was convicted of a similar violent weapon offense within the previous five years, the accused must now show the court why they should be released.8Department of Justice Canada. Questions and Answers – Bill C-48, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Bail Reform)
The law also expanded the reverse onus for intimate partner violence. It used to apply only where the accused had a prior conviction for an intimate partner violence offense. It now also captures people who were previously discharged for such an offense, meaning anyone found guilty or who pleaded guilty, even without a formal conviction on their record.9Department of Justice Canada. Bill C-48 – An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Bail Reform)
New Criminal Offenses for Motor Vehicle Theft
Parliament added Criminal Code offenses aimed at the devices used in modern car theft. Section 333.2 now prohibits possessing an electronic device suitable for stealing a motor vehicle with the intent to commit theft. A separate offense targets anyone who makes, repairs, sells, imports, exports, or distributes such a device knowing it has been or will be used to steal vehicles. Both carry a maximum of 10 years in prison on indictment, or two years less a day and a fine of up to $5,000 on summary conviction.10Department of Justice Canada. Auto-Theft – Division 35 Trafficking in theft devices is a standalone offense, so police can act before a vehicle is actually stolen.
Competition and Consumer Protection
Amendments to the Competition Act received Royal Assent on June 20, 2024, as part of Bill C-59.11Competition Bureau Canada. Guide to the June 2024 Amendments to the Competition Act Three changes matter for most consumers and businesses.
Environmental marketing claims about a product must be backed by adequate and proper testing, and claims about the environmental benefits of a business or business activity must be substantiated using an internationally recognized methodology. Vague or unverifiable green marketing can now trigger enforcement.
Drip pricing is addressed directly. Advertising a price that leaves out mandatory fees is misleading, unless those fees are imposed on the buyer by a government, such as sales tax. Businesses cannot present their own costs as unavoidable add-ons that appear only at checkout.
The right-to-repair change allows the Competition Act to apply when a manufacturer refuses to supply diagnostic information, repair information, or parts to independent repair shops.
As of June 20, 2025, any individual or organization can file a greenwashing complaint directly with the Competition Tribunal. If the Tribunal finds the complaint is in the public interest, it can order the business to stop the conduct, impose a monetary penalty, or require a corrective public notice.
National Pharmacare
The Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64) received Royal Assent in October 2024 and starts the first phase of a national universal pharmacare program.12Government of Canada. Government of Canada Passes Legislation for a First Phase of National Universal Pharmacare It directs the federal government to negotiate bilateral agreements with provinces and territories to provide universal, single-payer, first-dollar coverage for a range of contraception and diabetes medications. First-dollar means no copays or deductibles.
The government estimates the contraception coverage will reach up to nine million women and gender-diverse people, and the diabetes coverage will affect roughly 3.7 million Canadians. The Act also creates a fund for diabetes devices and supplies. Actual coverage in each province or territory depends on the bilateral agreements being signed.
Major Proposals That Did Not Pass
When Parliament was prorogued in January 2025, several prominent bills died on the order paper. They are not law, and they would need to be reintroduced in a new Parliament to move forward.
Online Harms (Bill C-63)
Bill C-63 would have created the Online Harms Act, setting safety requirements for social media platforms operating in Canada.13Canadian Heritage. Proposed Bill to Address Online Harms The bill named seven categories of harmful content:
- Content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor
- Intimate content shared without consent
- Content used to bully a child
- Content that induces a child to self-harm
- Content that foments hatred
- Content that incites violence
- Content that incites violent extremism or terrorism
It proposed a Digital Safety Commission to enforce the framework and a Digital Safety Ombudsperson to advocate for users and victims. Platforms would have had to make flagged content inaccessible within 24 hours of a report, unless the flag was frivolous or duplicative.14Department of Justice Canada. Charter Statement – Bill C-63 Administrative penalties could have reached 6% of a platform’s gross global revenue or $10 million, whichever was greater, with criminal offenses carrying up to 8% of global revenue or $25 million.15Parliament of Canada. Bill C-63 – An Act to Enact the Online Harms Act
Privacy and Artificial Intelligence (Bill C-27)
Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, would have replaced Canada’s 25-year-old federal privacy law with the Consumer Privacy Protection Act and introduced the country’s first regulatory framework for artificial intelligence through the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act.16Parliament of Canada. C-27, 44th Parliament, 1st Session It would have given individuals the right to have their personal data transferred between organizations and the right to demand deletion of data a company no longer needs. Privacy violations would have carried penalties of up to 5% of global revenue or $25 million, whichever was greater.17Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Bill C-27 Summary – Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022 The AI provisions would have regulated “high-impact” systems used in areas like employment and lending, requiring risk assessments and transparency when automated systems interact with the public.
Capital Gains Inclusion Rate Increase
The 2024 federal budget proposed raising the capital gains inclusion rate from 50% to 66.67% for annual gains above $250,000 for individuals, and for all gains realized by corporations and trusts. On March 21, 2025, Prime Minister Carney announced the government was cancelling the proposed increase.18Office of the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Carney Cancels Proposed Capital Gains Tax Increase The inclusion rate remains at 50%.