February 26, 2014 –Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice Canada
In support of the Government of Canada’s commitment to standing up for victims of crime, Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, introduced comprehensive legislation to better protect children from a range of sexual offences and exploitation at home and abroad.
These nine new measures, introduced in the House of Commons today, reflect the government’s commitment in the 2013 Speech from the Throne to re-establish Canada as a country where those who break the law are punished for their actions, where prison time matches the severity of crimes committed, and where the most vulnerable victims – children – are better protected.
The legislation includes nine key measures:
- Requiring those receiving separate sentences at the same time for contact child sexual offences against multiple children to serve their sentences consecutively– one after another;
- Requiring those sentenced at the same time for child pornography offences and contact child sexual offences to serve their sentences consecutively;
- Increasing maximum and minimum prison sentences for certain child sexual offences;
- Increasing penalties for violation of conditions of supervision orders;
- Ensuring that a crime committed while on house arrest, parole, statutory release or unescorted temporary absence is an aggravating factor at sentencing;
- Ensuring that spousal testimony is available in child pornography cases;
- Requiring registered sex offenders to provide more information regarding travel abroad;
- Enabling information-sharing on certain registered sex offenders between officials responsible for the National Sex Offender Registry and at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA); and
- Establishing a publicly accessible database of high-risk child sex offenders who have been the subject of a public notification in a provincial/territorial jurisdiction to assist in ensuring the safety of our communities.
Paloma Aguilar
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207
Jean-Christophe de Le Rue
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Jean-Christophe.deLeRue@ps-sp.gc.ca
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