Articles

Bill C-311 would make the abuse and harm of a pregnant woman a factor for judges to consider in sentencing. It would signal that harming a pregnant woman is a serious crime and may mean a longer sentence for those who commit violence against a pregnant woman. MP Cathay Wagantall introduced Bill C-311 in the House of Commons on January 31, 2023. It would specify that, in sentencing decisions, courts should consider whether offenders abused women they knew to be pregnant or cau

A private member’s bill would change references to “child pornography” in the Criminal Code to the more accurate term “child sexual abuse material.” MP Mel Arnold introduced Bill C-291 in the House of Commons on June 17, 2022. The term “child pornography” is inaccurate and harmful. Sexually explicit images and videos depicting children are child sexual exploitation, assault and abuse. Terms like “child pornography” risk normalizing, trivializing and legitimizing the sexual

Dear Mr. Mel Arnold, MP, Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce Bill C-291. The words we use matter. The term “child pornography” is not just inaccurate, it’s harmful. Using the term “pornography” in the context of children infers that the child is a willing participant when in fact they are the victim of a horrific crime. Sexually explicit images and videos depicting children cannot be considered “pornography” – they are child sexual exploitation, assault and ab

UPDATE: The new bill to ban conversion therapy, Bill C-4, received royal assent Dec. 8 and passed into law January 7, 2022. It was rushed through both the House of Commons and Senate in just over a week, a process that usually takes months. The EFC is preparing an analysis of the bill’s impact. This bill is similar to the previous ban, proposed in former Bill C-6, which died at the election call. Bill C-4 extends beyond the previous ban by, among other changes, proposing a ba

Commercial pornography sites that knowingly profit from sexual abuse and exploitation, like Pornhub, must be held accountable. An EFC submission to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. Download the pdf of the EFC’s nine-page submission. Related resources Bill S-203: Restricting online pornography Bill C-219: Sexual exploitation penalty

Bill C-219 is a private member’s bill that would increase the penalty for sexual exploitation of a young person in a relationship of dependency or a person with a disability. It would also amend the Criminal Code to consider it an aggravating circumstance at sentencing if a victim of sexual exploitation had a mental or physical disability. Bill C-219 was introduced by MP John Nater on February 25, 2020. It was reintroduced in 2021 and made it to second reading in April. It wa