Ontario has passed legislation that will allow people to say sorry without fear of having it turned against them in court.

Under the new rules, apologies can't be used as an admission of fault or liability and won't affect someone's insurance coverage.

The governing Liberals say fewer people apologize because they're afraid it could come back to haunt them if they are sued.

British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have similar apology laws, and 35 U.S. states have some form of apology legislation.

The Ontario government says the bill will help speed up healing and reconciliation by allowing people to acknowledge when they've harmed someone.

But opposition critics say the bill could pose legal questions, could trivialize apologies and make things even harder for victims.