The Canadian government has threatened to impose legal changes if OpenAI does not urgently strengthen its safety protocols following the recent horrific shootings in British Columbia.
According to Reuters, a senior government official said yesterday (Wednesday) that Canada’s ministers have clearly told the company that it must implement the necessary changes quickly or Ottawa will intervene through binding legislation.
Please call our safety team
This comes after OpenAI’s safety team was called to a public meeting on Tuesday after the company admitted it had not contacted police regarding a ChatGPT account owned by a female suspect who carried out the mass attack.
Details of the massacre
A young woman, Jessie Van Roetzelar, 18, is suspected of murdering eight people, including her mother and half-brother, 11, on February 10th. She then transferred to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she killed five students and a teacher before committing suicide. More than 25 other people were injured in the incident, which shook Tumbler Ridge, a small town of about 2,400 people.
OpenAI responded
OpenAI banned accounts last year for policy violations, but said it deemed the recorded activity did not meet internal standards that required reporting to law enforcement. It also subsequently revealed that it had banned the account in 2025 after detecting use that classified as “abuse of models in support of violent activities” and concluded that the account did not meet the criteria for imminent danger, despite considering the option of contacting law enforcement.
A clear message from the government
Canadian Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the message to the company was “clear and unambiguous,” adding that he expects the government to implement concrete changes quickly or it will make the necessary amendments itself.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also stressed that authorities would consider all measures that could have prevented the tragedy or prevented its recurrence in the future “to the fullest extent permitted by law.”
Enhanced safety procedures
Evan Solomon, Federal Minister for Artificial Intelligence, highlighted the government’s interest in reintroducing the Anti-Online Hate Speech Bill this year with more specific and focused measures, pointing to the need to ensure that companies with similar risk indicators notify the competent authorities.
OpenAI confirmed that it will soon notify the government of additional measures to strengthen safety measures and prevent misuse of the technology.
The Canadian government has hinted that it may impose legal changes if OpenAI does not quickly strengthen its safety protocols in response to recent horrific mass shootings in British Columbia.
According to Reuters, a senior government official said yesterday (Wednesday) that Canada’s ministers have clearly told the company that it must implement the necessary changes quickly or Ottawa will intervene through mandatory legislation.
call the safety team
This comes after OpenAI’s safety team was called to a public meeting on Tuesday after the company admitted it had not notified police about a ChatGPT account owned by a mass shooting suspect.
Details of the massacre
Jesse Van Roetzeler, 18, is suspected of killing eight people, including his mother and half-brother (11), on February 10, before transferring to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where he killed five students and a teacher, before committing suicide. More than 25 other people were injured in the incident that rocked Tumbler Ridge, a small town of about 2,400 people.
OpenAI support
OpenAI revealed last year that it had banned accounts for policy violations, but the activity recorded did not meet internal standards that required notification to law enforcement. The company then noted that it had banned the account in 2025 after detecting use classified as “abuse of the model in support of violent activities” and concluded that the account did not meet the criteria for imminent danger, although it also considered the option of contacting the police.
A clear message from the government
Canadian Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the message sent to the company was “clear and unambiguous,” adding that the government expects concrete changes to be implemented quickly or it will make the necessary amendments itself.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said authorities would consider all measures that could have prevented the tragedy or prevented it from happening again in the future “to the fullest extent permitted by law.”
Strengthening safety measures
Federal Minister for Artificial Intelligence Ivan Solomon confirmed the government’s interest in reintroducing the bill to combat online hate speech this year with more specific and focused measures, pointing to the need for companies with similar risk indicators to notify the relevant authorities.
OpenAI confirmed that it will soon notify the government of additional measures to strengthen safety measures and prevent misuse of the technology.
