Raising age of consent defeated.

Ottawa -- Canadian laws governing the age of consent to sexual activity set it (14 years old) as one of the lowest in the world. As a consequence, Canada has become a haven for pedophile sex tourists on a par with Thailand and certain other Oriental lands.

As the House of Commons reopened for the new session on September 26, 2005, two bills were tabled by Conservative MPs to raise the age from 14 to 16. Alberta MP Rick Casson re-introduced Bill C-313, left over from May, for a second reading, even offering to insert a "close-in-age" exemption when the bill went to committee hearings. Despite this, the Bill was rejected, 167-99.

B.C. MP Nina Grewal's motion, M-221, also asking Parliament to raise the age of consent to 16 years was also defeated 169-100. It did not include a "same-age" exemption.

Although a few Liberal and NDP members supported these motions, the general government consensus was that young people are entitled to engage in sexual activity if they want to. Meanwhile, 80% of Canadians believe the age minimum ought to be raised to at least 16.

The main objective of both bills was not "criminalizing puppy-love" as some media and commentators claimed; it was to protect children from sexual exploitation by adults. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler has claimed that the recently passed (June 2005) Bill C-2 on pornography provides adequate protection, particularly to its provisions regarding child pornography.

C-2 has been analysed by lawyer Gwen Landolt of REAL Women of Canada and found to be inadequate on account of the loopholes it contains:

1) The defence of "artistic merit," provided an artist's work serves a "legitimate purpose," has been retained;

2) The inclusion of a minimum sentence for child porn, at first excluded, was only inserted later by a Justice Committee amendment;

3) The age-of-consent was kept at 14 years.

Despite its lax provisions, Canadian homosexual activists are not happy with Bill C-2. Ms. Landolt foretells that their objections may lead to even this weak law being overturned (Canada.com News September 29; LifeSite September 26, 27, 2005).