Ontario cabinet minister pushes feds for deepfake ban and 'steep fines and jail time' for scammers

Ontario's Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford is urging the federal government to implement "an all-out ban on AI deepfakes and impersonations" with strict criminal penalties.

In an open letter, Crawford advocated for "steep fines and jail time" for people who use artificial intelligence to scam or harm Canadians. A deepfake is a form of AI used to convincingly create hoax images, videos, and sounds — often for malicious purposes.

The push comes as deepfake scams grow increasingly costly. In June, an 86-year-old woman from Sault Ste. Marie lost more than $900,000 after being convinced by a deepfake of Prime Minister Mark Carney to make cryptocurrency investments.

"As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, it is more important than ever that governments work together to capitalize on new opportunities while safeguarding the security of our country and its citizens," Crawford said.

Deepfake scams pose particular risk to older adults and those unfamiliar with how to identify deceptive platforms and posts. The technology has advanced to the point where audio, video, and images of real people can be reproduced convincingly, making victims difficult to identify and perpetrators hard to catch.

Currently, Canadian criminal law primarily focuses on non-consensual distribution of intimate deepfakes under the Protecting Victims Act (Bill C-16), but does not comprehensively address fraud or impersonation deepfakes used in scams.

Health Canada is exploring proposed regulations for lithium-ion batteries as part of consumer safety efforts, and the Ontario Fire Marshal is considering changes to the province's fire code — showing a broader push across levels of government to regulate emerging technology risks.