Minister Cotler says the Bill to Protect Children and other Vulnerable Persons will give the most comprehensive child protection legislation of any country in the world.

OTTAWA, October 8, 2004 – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Irwin Cotler, today introduced legislation in the House of Commons to protect children and other vulnerable persons from sexual exploitation, violence, abuse and neglect.

"Introducing this 'protection of the vulnerable' Bill as the first legislative initiative in the new Parliament is important symbolically and substantively. It underscores our commitment to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. It is exemplary human rights protection legislation. It will be good for law enforcement, good for the administration of justice - and most important - it will be good for children."

The legislation proposes six major reforms by way of amendments to the Criminal Code and the Canada Evidence Act, including:

1. Protecting children from child pornography by:
   • Broadening the definition of child pornography
   • Creating a new prohibition against advertising child pornography
   • Increasing maximum penalties
   • Narrowing existing defences to a single legitimate purpose defence
2. Creating a new sexual exploitation offence that better protects young persons between 14 and 18 years of age.
3. Increasing maximum sentences for other child-related offences, including:
   • Sexual offences against children
   • Failure to provide necessities of life
   • Abandonment of children
   • Child abuse in commission of an offence an aggravating factor for sentencing purposes
4. Facilitating testimony by child victims and witnesses through the use of testimonial aids.
5. Protecting other vulnerable victims and witnesses - including women - by:
   1. Testimonial aids for vulnerable victims such as victims of spousal abuse, criminal harassment and sexual assault
   2. Protecting victims of domestic violence by facilitating the enforcement of civil restraining orders
6. Creating two new voyeurism offences:
   • Prohibiting secret observations or recordings in specific cases where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy
   • Prohibiting the intentional distribution of material that was knowingly obtained through an act of voyeurism

These new legislative tools, together with our National Strategy to Protect Children from Exploitation on the Internet, provide a comprehensive framework to support Canadian law enforcement's efforts to combat child sexual exploitation.

To access an online version of the proposed legislation, visit www.parl.gc.ca.

Backgrounder: Key Highlights of Proposed Amendments to Protect Children and Other Vulnerable Persons

Ref.:

Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

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