I am Marni Panas. I use the pronouns “she” and “her”. I am a Canadian certified inclusion professional. I led the development of diversity and inclusion activities at Alberta Health Services, Canada's largest health care services provider. I am the director of DEI for one of Canada's most respected corporations, and I am the board chair for the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.

Today, I am speaking on behalf of myself and my own experiences. I'm here to vehemently defend every Canadian's right to freedom of expression, the foundation of our democracy. However, I and millions like me do not have freedom of expression, because it is safer to be racist, homophobic, sexist and transphobic online than it is to be Black, gay, a woman or transgender online. Online hate is real hate. It descends into our streets. It endangers Canadians in real life.

In September 2021, I took the stage at a university in my hometown of Camrose, Alberta, to deliver a lecture on LGBTQ2S+ inclusion, a lecture I've delivered to thousands of students, medical professionals, and leaders around the world. While I was on stage, unbeknownst to me, a student, like many other youth who have been radicalized by online hate, was livestreaming my presentation on Facebook and several far-right online platforms. By the time I got off stage, thousands of people were commenting on my appearance, my identity and my family. The worst of the comments included threats to watch my back. My next lecture was cancelled. Police escorted me off campus for my own safety.

In March 2023, I was invited to participate on a panel celebrating International Women's Day to raise awareness for an organization in Calgary that works to protect women and children from domestic violence. Because of the many online threats of violence directed towards me, the Calgary Police Service and my employer's protective services unit had to escort me in and out of the Calgary Public Library, where the event was being held.

Last February, emboldened by the introduction of anti-trans legislation in Alberta, people harassed and threatened me and others online at levels I had never experienced before, even trying to intimidate me by contacting my employer. I'm grateful for the support of my current employer, who once again had to step in to have my back.

It is rarely the people spewing hate online who are the greatest threat, but words are never just words. It is the people who read, listen and believe in hate speech who become emboldened to act on what's been said. These words and the actions they fuel have followed me to my community, my workplace and even my doorstep. The impact of this relentless harassment for simply living my life publicly, proudly and joyfully as me has profoundly impacted my mental health, my well-being and my sense of safety where I live and work, leaving me withdrawn from the communities I cherish and leaving me wondering every time someone recognizes me on the street whether this is the moment where online hate turns to real physical violence. I feel far less safe in my community and in my country than I ever have before.

No, I don't have freedom of expression. There is a cost to being visible. There is a cost to speaking out. There is a cost to speaking before you today, knowing that this is being broadcast online. Most often, the cost just isn't worth it. The people all too often silenced are those who desperately need these online platforms the most to find community and support. This is made worse when the same platforms allow disinformation to be spread that aims to dehumanize and villainize LGBTQ2S+ people, contributing to the significant rise in anti-LGBTQ2S+ violence as highlighted by CSIS this past year.

The status quo is no longer acceptable. Platforms need to be held accountable for the hateful content they host and the disinformation they allow to spread. The federal government needs to act. We can't wait. I've been called brave, courageous and even resilient, but I'd rather simply just be safe. People have a right to freely exist without fear because of who they are and whom they love. This is needed in online spaces, too. In fact, our communities and our democracy depend on it.

Uphold freedom of expression. Pass Bill C-63, and protect us all from online harms.

Thank you.