Bill C-304 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (grooming)

This bill is from the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2021.

Sponsor

Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Second reading (House), as of May 31, 2021
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to provide that when a court imposes a sentence for certain sexual offences, it shall consider as an aggravating factor the fact that the offender communicated with the victim, or engaged in conduct in relation to them, with the intention that the communication or conduct lead the victim to participate in the activity that is the subject of the offence.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-304s:

C-304 (2022) National Food Waste Awareness Day Act

C-304 (2016) An Act to amend the Railway Safety Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (transport of dangerous goods by rail)

C-304 (2011) Law An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting freedom)

C-304 (2010) Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act

C-304 (2009) Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act

C-304 (2006) National Strategy for the Treatment of Autism Act

Criminal CodeRoutine Proceedings

May 28th, 2021 / 12:15 p.m.

Conservative

Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-304, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (grooming).

Madam Speaker, it is a great honour to introduce an act to amend the Criminal Code. I would like to thank my colleague, the hon. member for Lakeland, for seconding this proposed legislation and for her great advocacy in protecting children and the vulnerable from predators.

This Conservative bill would make grooming an aggravating factor that the courts would take into account when handing down a sentence for individuals convicted of sexual offences toward young persons. If a court decides not to give effect to the presence of this aggravating factor in any case, it must give a reason for its decision.

For the purpose of the bill, grooming would include communication with victims or conduct in relation to them by a predator such that it makes the victims more susceptible to sexual abuse by the predator.

Grooming is an evil practice that has enabled and continues to enable the victimization of many children. Although the Supreme Court of Canada recognized grooming as an aggravating factor in R. v. Friesen, there are still cases in which the courts have not recognized grooming.

The bill would codify grooming as an aggravating factor, and it is an important step toward tougher punishments for those who choose to use this disgusting practice.

I call on all parliamentarians to work toward tougher punishments for grooming and to increase the protection of children by supporting this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)