QUESTION PERIOD — Justice
Human Trafficking Legislation
December 2, 2020
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
Modern slavery, as you know, includes sex trafficking. Because we received no answer from the Prime Minister in the spring, 20 MPs and senators have written a new letter to Minister Lametti asking why the Criminal Code provisions are not being applied to pornographic sites, such as Pornhub, where, sadly, videos of child pornography and non-consensual sexual acts can be found. These abuses have received worldwide attention. What is the Canadian government doing, given that MindGeek, which runs Pornhub, is headquartered in Montreal?
Thank you for your question and your commitment to this important issue. The government, of which I am the representative, is determined to fight against any form of sexual exploitation of vulnerable persons and children because it is imperative that they are protected against any abuse. As you know, there are provisions in the Criminal Code and existing federal laws on the mandatory declaration and conservation of data on potential child pornography offences. The government is committed to ensuring that our criminal justice system respects victims and makes offenders accountable.
I thank you for this rather general commitment, Senator Gold. However, these pornographic sites are not being prosecuted. Do we have adequate laws? Do these laws need to be updated to ensure that the lives of children and women are not shattered in this way? Furthermore, why is amateur online pornography going unchecked while, in France, a pornographic site is under investigation for human trafficking? That is not happening here.
Thank you again for your question. The government believes that our laws are adequate in this regard, but I do want to point out that our prosecutors across Canada are the ones responsible for prosecutions. There is a difference between our legislation and the decision a prosecutor may make to prosecute someone for an offence.
