By Julia Beazley and Beth Hiemstra (post revised as of Oct. 20, 2016) Please pray for three very positive initiatives in the House of Commons this fall. These are private member’s bills or motions, brought forward by individual MPs, and they will be debated and voted on in the next few months. 1. Palliative care… Read More
The EFC just made a four-page submission to the standing parliamentary Committee on the Status of Women, which is studying violence against girls and young women in Canada. Over the last several years, as we have researched, consulted and networked broadly on prostitution and human trafficking, we realized that these issues are part of a… Read More
By Julia Beazley Last night, it was my privilege to participate on a panel discussing the protection of young people from the harms of pornography. Hosted by MP Joy Smith (Kildonan-St. Paul), the evening on Parliament Hill featured Dr. Gail Dines, an internationally-acclaimed speaker and author (Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked our Sexuality, 2011). The… Read More
Most agree that it is difficult to think of anything more reprehensible than an adult violating a child’s trust for personal sexual gratification. Where some might disagree is on the degree of punishment that is warranted for such violation. Thursday’s introduction of Bill C-54, An act to amend the Criminal Code (sexual offences against children),… Read More
Should the term “child pornography” in the Criminal Code be changed to “child sex abuse materials”? While there may be laudable principles for considering to do so, it would be a legal gamble – with children at risk – to amend the law. This gamble could very likely provide child abusers with a new legal… Read More
Wow. That line is the conclusion of an article in the Life section of today’s Globe and Mail, titled, How to Revel in Porn and Feel Good About It. I started reading, hoping – and I’ll admit, expecting – to find that the title was intended to be ironic. Instead, the piece is a matter-of-fact,… Read More
This past weekend I attended the extremely well organized Christian Legal Fellowship National Christian Law Student Conference hosted by University of Ottawa law students. Kudos to organizers for a great event with great speakers, including Justice Minister Rob Nicholson as the keynote speaker for the opening session on Thursday night. I arrived a little late… Read More
Last week, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-58, An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service. Once passed, this simple piece of legislation is expected to change the landscape (netscape) of online child porn. Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and the… Read More
For some time now, the media has been noting an increased societal concern about the overwhelming amount of porn available and being distributed in Canada. At one point, while working as a law student, I had to do research on sentencing in Canada for child pornography. It was both an eye-opener and horrifying. Just reading… Read More