Parliament Passes Legislation to Protect Children from Online Sexual Exploitation
OTTAWA, March 03, 2011 — The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today welcomed the passage by Parliament of Bill C-22, An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service. The legislation will help protect children from online sexual exploitation.
“The creation and distribution of child pornography is an unspeakable
crime which will not be tolerated in Canada,”
said Minister
Nicholson. “Our legislation will assist police in tracking
down Internet sexual predators, and rescuing children from sexual
exploitation.”
In September 2008, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial ministers responsible for Justice agreed that Canada's response to child pornography could be enhanced by federal legislation establishing mandatory reporting of online child pornography by providers of Internet services.
Bill C-22 applies to suppliers of Internet services to the public, including those who provide electronic mail services, Internet content hosting services, and social networking sites. It requires them to:
- Report, to a designated agency, tips they receive regarding Web sites where child pornography may be available to the public; and
- Notify police and safeguard evidence if they believe that a child pornography offence has been committed using an Internet service that they provide.
Failure to comply with the duties under the legislation will constitute an offence punishable by graduated fines. For individuals (sole proprietorships), the maximum penalty is a fine of $1,000 for a first offence; $5,000 for a second offence; and for third and subsequent offences $10,000 or six months imprisonment, or both. For corporations and other entities, the maximum fines are $10,000 for a first offence; $50,000 for a second offence; and $100,000 for third and subsequent offences.
“We all have a role to play in the protection of children from sexual
predators,”
said Minister Nicholson. “This legislation will improve
the collaboration between internet service providers and police to better protect
children from online sexual exploitation.”
An online version of the legislation is available at www.parl.gc.ca
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