Bill 31 — The Defamation Act
Assented to on 2026-05-14 · Sponsor: Tim McLeod
Replaces Saskatchewan's old libel law with a new Defamation Act setting out rules for notice, evidence, damages, privileges and online removal orders.
- Requires anyone planning a defamation lawsuit to give the publisher 14 days written notice before suing
- Lets courts order defendants to remove defamatory content, delete copies, or have it de-indexed from search engines and platforms
- Allows a defendant's written apology to be used to reduce damages in certain cases
- Introduces a single publication rule so republishing the same words does not restart the limitation period unless materially different
- Permits consolidating multiple lawsuits from the same plaintiff over the same defamation into one action
- Protects fair and accurate reports of public meetings, legislatures, courts, tribunals and peer-reviewed journal articles from liability unless malicious
- Repeals the old Libel and Slander Act and updates related laws on the Ombudsman and Advocate for Children and Youth
The bill on the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan website