WATCH: Trudeau says he wants to ‘clear’ cyberspace of ‘hate’

"There is no doubt: the digital space has incredible power for good. But from disinformation on vaccines to online extremism, we've also seen the threat it can pose to our democratic values, systems and our citizens," opined Trudeau.

"We can't allow the benefits of the digital space to come at the expense of people's rights or safety, and that means taking real action to protect our societies against polarization and radicalization, while defending the rights of our citizens online."

Three minutes into his presentation, the image froze and Trudeau appeared as offline, and didn't reconnect. Thus, his total speech was cut somewhat short, and the forum had to move on.

Trudeau had, however, previously stated on Sept. 21 2021 after winning the last election that his Liberal government intended to pass a bill to severely censor Canadians on the internet within the first 100 days of its new mandate.

According to the National Observer, US Vice President Kamala Harris, on her part, commented, using a different tack:

"For the United States, our approach to the digital domain is rooted in our democratic principles. We will continue to advocate for an open, secure and interoperable internet and work to ensure that technology helps, not harms, the people of our world."

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, issued her own statement on the issue:

"Throughout the pandemic, indeed, the internet has been a lifeline for millions of companies, and the only connection to our loved ones for so many of us."

"Yet cyberspace has also become a more dangerous place, with rising threats against our critical infrastructure, our democratic processes, and even our personal health and safety, including our children's."