GME3: Trudeau’s Exit: House on Hold, Meta-morphosis: Free Speech Reboot & Falling Sets, Rising Concerns

Welcome to the first edition of the GME3 for 2025! This week we’re looking at the effect that Justin Trudeau’s resignation could have on two key pieces of Canadian gambling legislation, Meta’s announcement that its third-party fact-checking program will be discontinued this year, and more legal issues on the Toronto set of Amazon Prime’s Beast Games. Read the full stories below!

Gambling

Trudeau’s Exit: House on Hold

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign and prorogue Parliament has halted progress on two key bills addressing sports betting advertising and Indigenous gaming rights. This past Monday, Trudeau announced his resignation and requested a new parliamentary session, citing prolonged legislative gridlock. The prorogation effectively terminates any bills that haven’t received Royal Assent, including Ontario Senator Marty Deacon’s Bill S-269, aimed at establishing national standards for sports betting advertising.

S-269 had passed the Senate but had yet to reach the House of Commons due to the legislative stalemate. Meanwhile, Senator Brent Cotter’s Bill S-268, which seeks to clarify First Nations’ authority to manage gambling operations, will also be disrupted. The bill was a response to longstanding concerns from Indigenous groups, particularly the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), about their exclusion from Canada’s gaming framework. The MCK has historically asserted its jurisdiction over gaming, recently ending a partnership with Entain PLC due to regulatory changes. 

Efforts to regulate sports betting advertising have sparked criticism from advertisers and industry stakeholders alike. Sports leagues like the NFL have argued that restricting advertising could undermine efforts to channel illegal betting into regulated markets. Despite these setbacks, the issues are expected to resurface in future sessions, though political gridlock remains a significant obstacle.

Media

Meta-morphosis: Free Speech Reboot

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled significant changes to the company’s moderation policies, emphasizing a return to free expression. Meta will discontinue its third-party fact-checking program, replacing it with a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes. Zuckerberg cited recent elections and a cultural shift toward free speech as motivations for the overhaul.

Key changes include loosening restrictions on political content and eliminating some content policies on divisive issues like immigration and gender. While simplifying moderation systems, Meta will prioritize addressing high-severity violations such as drug-related content, terrorism, and child exploitation. User reporting will play a larger role in handling other infractions. Additionally, Meta will increase confidence thresholds for content removal, accepting the trade-off of potentially missing some harmful content in favour of reducing accidental censorship.

Meta will also restore political content in user feeds across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads after years of limiting it due to user complaints. The company additionally plans to shift its trust and safety operations from California to Texas.

Zuckerberg acknowledged past moderation system errors, arguing they disproportionately impacted millions of users. The company’s fact-checking initiative, launched in 2016, involved global partners reviewing flagged posts, but it faced criticism, particularly from conservatives, for alleged bias.

Zuckerberg highlighted the need to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration to counter censorship pressures globally and push back against restrictive foreign governments. The announcement follows years of scrutiny over Meta’s interactions with the U.S. government on content moderation and censorship claims.

These changes align with broader industry trends, as companies like X reevaluate their approaches to moderation amidst political pressures. Zuckerberg framed the shift as a recommitment to Meta’s roots of fostering open dialogue while mitigating excessive restrictions.

Entertainment

Falling Sets, Rising Concerns

Ontario’s labour ministry is investigating an industrial accident on the Toronto set of Beast Games, a new Prime Video competition series by YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, more commonly known as MrBeast. The incident occurred on September 11 when a worker was reportedly injured by falling wood on the set, a miniature village built on the grounds of the former Downsview Airport. The ministry did not disclose the severity of the injuries but confirmed issuing unspecified “requirements” to the employers, Blink 49 Studios and Manhattan Beach Studios. Neither the companies nor Prime Video have commented.

Toronto Police stated that while they were called to the scene, the incident was not considered criminal. Rolling Stone reported that a large piece of the set fell on a crew member during cleanup, but the ministry has not verified this.

The show, featuring 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize, has faced broader controversies. A lawsuit filed by five participants in a prior Las Vegas tryout alleges unsafe working conditions and sexual harassment. Donaldson has denied the allegations, claiming they were exaggerated.

Donaldson, known for his extravagant stunts and massive giveaways, remains at the center of the controversy as the investigation continues and more details emerge about safety on the set of Beast Games.