Heidi Tworek (RSC College) is a Canada Research Chair and Professor of History and Public Policy at The University of British Columbia, where she also directs the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, her work explores how new communications technologies affect democracy in the past and present. 
She is also a member of the Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety, a panel of experts reconvened by the Government of Canada following the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s reported use of ChatGPT. The group advises on strategies to address harmful online content and strengthen online safety. In the spotlight below, Tworek discusses the group’s role, its importance, and the goals it aims to achieve.
Q: Can you describe the mandate of the advisory group on online safety? What core problem it has been established to address?
A: The advisory group on online safety was originally created in 2022 to provide expertise on what became a proposed Online Harms Act in 2024. That bill, C-63, died on the Order Paper when then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament in January 2025. The group was reconvened this year, when news of the Tumbler Ridge shooter's use of ChatGPT brought renewed urgency to the issue of online safety.
As with the first iteration in 2022, the group is mandated to provide expert advice on what regulation might make the online environment safer for all Canadians. This time around, though, the group can build upon the government's proposed framework and advise on how it might include or adapt to new developments like generative AI chatbots. Importantly, the group provides advice but does not draft any bills itself.
Q: What motivated you to join this group?
A: I had three main reasons. First, I see it as part of my role as a professor to synthesize academic research for policymakers. This is particularly important for some issues in the online environment, where research has reached very different conclusions than popular assumptions. Second, as the only trained historian in the group, I wanted to ensure that we did not fall into the trap of believing that social media and generative AI present unprecedented problems. My third and final aim was to bring an internationally-informed perspective. Canada is regulating the online environment a few years after jurisdictions like the European Union or countries like Australia; there is much to learn from the successes and challenges of those online safety regimes.
Q: From your perspective, what are the most pressing challenges in improving online safety that the group is focusing on?
A: Our deliberations focused on a range of issues from regulating AI chatbots and companions to social media bans for children to transparency requirements. Within this complex set of issues, I see two broader pressing challenges. The first is future-proofing any legislation when technology develops so rapidly. The second is thinking through appropriate enforcement. It's all well and good to have regulation on the books; it only makes a difference if it can be enforced adequately.
Q: What do you see as the most important outcomes it can achieve for a safer future?
A: Hopefully, our deliberations can inform a bill that enables Canadians to express themselves freely online with far less harassment, abuse, or violence.
