Bill C-22 Bites the Dust

Has anyone wondered how it was possible for Judge David Ramsey to procure “child prostitutes” so easily?

I have. I know a couple hundred of my readers over at Hazel8500 have thanks to my WordPress Stats widgets. By watching the news over the past year as I have, I know the cops have too.

Experts, advocates, and international NGO’s agree Canada’s age of consent laws are too vague, too low, and too difficult to enforce allowing Canada to become a haven for pedophiles and child sex tourism.

But is Parliament listening?

For nearly a decade there has been a steady public outcry over the lack of justice afforded our children when raped, exploited, or “turned out”. Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action in 1996 opened the eyes of the global community to the vastness of child sexual exploitation around the world.

Bill C-22 was the long awaited and Canadian legislative tool intended to fight child sexual exploitation and to stem the burgeoning child sex tourism trade in Canada.

Riddle me this Parliament Hill: How Do You Sleep At Night?

Bill C22 has been scrapped. Not because of lack of support, rather by a process called
Prorogation that expunges any unresolved bills at the close of the Parliamentary session.

Bill C-22 was tabled during the 39th Canadian Parliament April 3 2006 to October 19 2007.

MP’s from all over the country have provided petitions signed by constituents during every session of the 39th Parliament asking for the government to step it up and get the bill passed ASAP. MP’s passionately declared their support for the bill. A few pointed fingers at each other over whose to blame over not having this simple, key piece of legislation implemented prior to summer break.

Despite the inter parliamentary drama as recorded by Hansard, Bill C-22 came to a pitiful halt after three successful bids through the system only to be expunged by the senate.

Out of 16 Tabled Bills , 6 failed to pass including Bill C-22, a bill that would have provided protection for children from exploitation, while not criminalizing sexual relationships among a generous peer group of five years. This would have also addressed the health concerns raised over the past decade over teen’s reluctance to use sexual health services due to fears of exposing their older lover’s to prosecution. The Bill failed however to put anal and vaginal sex on parity. Anal sex would have remained an illegal activity until both parties reached the age of 18, So no change there.

Canada has one of the lowest ages of consent in the developed world, recent in depth and independent studies have confirmed what police have been increasingly reporting over the past few years: Canada is a Haven for International Pedophiles.Page 11.

Furthermore, a growing number of Canadians are traveling abroad to engage in the sexual exploitation of children. Canada is a source country for sex tourists, but some evidence suggests that men from abroad, particularly from the United States are also traveling to Canada to take advantage of the country’s low age of sexual consent.
Many child rights advocates argue that Canada’s low age of consent strongly contributes to an environment of risk for children.

List of other Publications on topic at Beyond Borders

Taking a look over the media coverage over the past year is telling, though the coverage speaks in a whisper.

Suggested Reading

Vancouver cited as popular with sex tourists who prey on kids

Canada cited for child-sex hypocrisy

U.S. teacher exiled to Canada after sexual abuse conviction