'Trudeau is trying to crush free speech': Musk barb at Canadian PM for 'repressive online censorship'

His remark came in wake of a recent order of the Canada government which makes it compulsory for online streaming services to formally register with the government for ‘regulatory controls’.

Ottawa:Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in the eye of the storm from India for raising heat and dust over Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, is facing backlash over his government's policy to crush 'free speech'.

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk attacked the Justin Trudeau government in Canada for 'crushing free speech' in the country. His remark came in wake of a recent order of the Canada government which makes it compulsory for online streaming services to formally register with the government for ‘regulatory controls’.

Musk was responding to a post by journalist and author Glenn Greenwald who was commenting on the ruling. “The Canadian government, armed with one of the world's most repressive online censorship schemes, announces that all "online streaming services that offer podcasts" must formally register with the government to permit regulatory controls,” Greenwald posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Responding to this, Elon Musk stated, “Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada. Shameful”. Notably, this is not the first time the Trudeau government is being accused of acting against free speech.

In February 2022, Trudeau invoked emergency powers — for the first time in country’s history — to arm his government with more power to respond to the trucker protests, who were opposing the vaccine mandates at that time.

Meanwhile, Canadian PM created an uproar after he alleged India’s role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has suspended its visa services in Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations of Indian involvement in the killing.

Amid strained ties, India issued an advisory for its citizens and those who are travelling to Canada to exercise “utmost caution in view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence" in the country.