CHILD PORNOGRAPHY LEGISLATION COMING INTO FORCE

OTTAWA, July 8, 2002 -- The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Martin Cauchon, today announced that measures in Bill C-15A to protect children from sexual exploitation will come into force on July 23, 2002.

"Canadians are deeply concerned with protecting our children, particularly from those who may prey upon their vulnerability," Minister Cauchon said. "This new legislation provides children with enhanced protection against sexual exploitation."

The new legislation:

• makes it illegal to use the Internet to communicate with a child for the purpose of committing a sexual offence against that child as well as to transmit, make available, export or access child pornography;

• allows the courts to order the deletion of child pornography posted on Canadian computer systems;

• allows for the seizure of materials or equipment used to commit a related offence;

• makes child pornography and the new Internet luring offence triggering offences for making an application to designate a person as a "long-term offender"; and

• simplifies the process to prosecute Canadians who sexually exploit children in other countries.

Other provisions in Bill C-15A that will also come into effect on July 23 include:

• doubling the maximum sentence for criminal harassment from five to 10 years imprisonment, by indictment;

• specifically identifying home invasion as an aggravating circumstance to be considered by judges at the time of sentencing; and

• making it a distinct offence to disarm or attempt to disarm a police officer.

Measures in Bill C-15A that will come into effect later in the year include:

• provisions relating to the disclosure of expert evidence and provisions establishing conditions for accepting a guilty plea, which will come into force on September 23, 2002.

• conviction review provisions, which will improve the process for reviewing allegations of wrongful conviction, will come into force on November 25, 2002.

• preliminary inquiry reform provisions, which will help limit the potentially negative impact of preliminary inquiries on victims and witnesses while retaining the right of the accused to this type of inquiry. These provisions will come into force on July 23, 2003.

These later implementation dates will allow sufficient time to prepare for the coming into force of the legislation.

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Ref.:

Media Relations Office
Department of Justice
(613) 957-4207

Suzanne Thébarge
Director of Communications
Minister's Office
(613) 992-4621