OTTAWA — Conservatives are promising to scrap the proposed federal online harms bill after the latest report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) found that it would create more than $200 million in new bureaucracy.

Bill C-63 would establish three new entities: the Digital Safety Commission, which is mandated to enforce the act and has the power to issue monetary penalties and fines, and the Digital Safety Ombudsperson, which will support social media users. Both will be supported by the Digital Safety Office, which manages the day-to-day operations.