Saskatchewan brings its defamation law into the digital era

Saskatchewan’s Defamation Act is now in force, replacing the province’s 1909 Libel and Slander Act. It covers written and spoken statements that harm a person’s reputation and aims to balance reputation protections with freedom of expression.

What changes:

• The law applies equally to newspaper, broadcast, digital and online publishers.
• Courts can order third parties to take down or de-index harmful online content that continues to circulate after it was first published.
• A single cause of action applies to a publication and later republications of the same material by the same publisher.
• Newspaper publishers no longer need to file with the Registrar of Corporations, and the newspaper register will be decommissioned.