CHILD PROTECTION BILL RECEIVES ROYAL ASSENT

OTTAWA, July 21, 2005 – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Irwin Cotler, welcomed the Royal Assent of Bill C-2, a comprehensive package of legislative reforms that provide increased protection to children from abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation and make the criminal justice system more responsive to the needs of children and other vulnerable victims and witnesses.

“ The test of a just society is how it treats the most vulnerable of its citizens. This legislation - the first introduced in this parliament - reflects Parliament's commitment to the protection of the most vulnerable of the vulnerable - our children - against the most predatory of practices - child pornography and sexual offences against children ,” said Minister Cotler.

Under Bill C-2, there are seven categories of amendments to the Criminal Code and the Canada Evidence Act which:

• Strengthen child pornography provisions, by increasing penalties, prohibiting advertising, broadening the definition and creating a clearer, narrower, harms-based “legitimate purpose” defence;
• Create a new offence against sexual exploitation of youth (aged 14-18) to better protect youth against those who would prey on their vulnerability;
• Increase penalties for child-specific offences involving abuse, neglect or sexual exploitation including imposing mandatory minimum sentences for specific sexual offences against children;
• Facilitate the testimony of child victims and witnesses under 18 years of age as well as other vulnerable victims and witnesses by providing a clearer and more consistent test for the use of aids such as screens, closed-circuit television and support persons;
• Create a new test to enable children under 14 years to testify in any proceeding where they are able to understand and respond to questions and upon promising to tell the truth;
• Protect against spousal violence by facilitating the criminal law enforcement of breaches of civil restraining orders; and,
• Establish new voyeurism offences prohibiting the secret viewing or recording of another person when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in three specific situations and prohibiting the intentional distribution of a voyeuristic recording.
  

“These reforms enhance our existing legal framework for the greater protection of the vulnerable, while strengthening our laws against child pornography and sexual exploitation, which are already among the most comprehensive in the world,” stated Minister Cotler.

As part of the Government's ongoing commitment to protect children through effective laws and enforcement, all the reforms in Bill C-2 will be subject to a Parliamentary review five years after coming into force.

Bill C-2 will come into force on a date to be determined.

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Ref.:

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

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