Evidence of meeting #30 for Justice and Human Rights in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was pornography.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
The entire agency has 40 staff. We have seven full-time content analysts, French and English, who currently do that job right now.
4 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
And in terms of the volume of this, Mr. Ménard was on one of the committees about four or five years ago, and we went through this, and it was identified at that point that in fact a vast majority of this material is being produced and is on site outside of Canada. That remains the case?
4 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
There have been, say in the last two years, three notorious cases where in fact the material was being produced in Canada and on Canadian sites. Can you help us: does that in any way indicate that there's a growth in the industry in Canada?
4 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
One of our limitations is we base information on reports we receive. We cannot purport to tell a global story because we're analyzing reports that have come in through the tip line. What I can say is that rightly, in reading many of your discussions, it's moving all over the place. I would say—
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Ms. McDonald, let me stop you. My time is short. Can you tell me, has there been an increase in the number of Canadian sites in the last three to five years?
4:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
I don't have that exact number, but I can find that.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Ed Fast
Thank you, Mr. Comartin.
We'll now move to Mr. Dechert for seven minutes.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. McDonald and Ms. Milner and all of your colleagues, for the very good work you're doing to help keep our children and children from around the world safe from sexual exploitation.
I have a couple of questions for you. I really very much appreciated your presentation. Perhaps you could just tell us generally how you think this legislation that we're examining today will help reduce child sexual exploitation. And in answering that question, perhaps you could just describe for us why you use the term “child sexual exploitation”, as opposed to just “child pornography”, which I take it is the material itself.
4:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Sure. When we refer to child pornography, we are being more specific regarding legislation. That's how it's defined, and we provide that clarity. Generally, we will say “child sexual abuse images and material”, which encompass audio, recordings, written material, etc. We use the term “child sexual exploitation” because, through the work of the tip line, we accept reports in a number of categories that fall under that overarching umbrella of child sexual exploitation--for example, luring. That would be my answer to that question.
On the issue in terms of this legislation, I think it definitely will help. As I mentioned in my presentation, while we have fantastic cooperation from the major service providers right now, this legislation captures a broader group of content providers, which is definitely where we see this legislation going a long way toward helping this and in facilitating reporting.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you.
When the minister was here on Tuesday, he mentioned that part of the scope of legislation and desire of the government in introducing it was not only that it would stop people from using this material, but also that it would help our police authorities actually rescue the children involved and prevent other children from being drawn into these sorts of situations. Can you describe how this legislation might help in that regard?
4:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
Yes. This is a very basic point. With the tip line and the role that we're playing, citizens or online users become the eyes and ears of the Internet. They become a neighbourhood watch—and that's certainly more of a moral suggestion.
When we're looking at this, there are many instances—and I would expect this in the future too—when content providers or service providers are going to be the first people to come across it. So if you take an example where someone who is providing an Internet service is aware of a client with child pornography or has found actual child pornography, it's not just about the child pornography they've seen, but there could also be children with and connected to that client or person who is interested in the material. So there is a direct connection between what we see on the Internet and those individuals who are collecting, possessing, and trading this type of material.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Is it also fair to say that if people are using this material, they're more likely to go out and abuse a child?
4:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
We're very careful on that in sourcing the literature. Our agency very much supports that view. In the research document that I've supplied, we source and qualify that point, but there are a number of studies now that make the connection between consumption and viewing of child pornography and contact offences against children, and that's sourced in the report.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you.
The legislation puts forward a duty on Internet access providers, Internet content providers, and also, I understand, electronic mail providers. That's a little new to me and perhaps to some others on the committee.
Why do you believe that e-mail service providers should also have a duty to report child pornography and child sexual exploitation?
4:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection
I can give you one really direct example. You can have a family e-mail account. There can be links within an actual e-mail that drive people to the child pornography or child abuse site. We had one report where the public were coming in crying because they'd inadvertently received a spam e-mail containing graphic images of a little young girl being sexually assaulted. That is something we want to stop, especially as children and others are having an open view and access to seeing this type of terrible content.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you.
I understand that the stated goals of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection include reducing the incidence of missing and sexually exploited children, educating the public on child personal safety and sexual exploitation, assisting in the location of missing children, and advocating for and increasing awareness about issues relating to missing and sexually exploited chidden. Do you think this legislation will help you achieve those goals?
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Very good.
My final comment is to congratulate you and your organization for receiving an award, I understand, from Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier this year for all of your good work. So congratulations to you.
Mr. Chair, if I have any time left, I'd like to pass it to Mr. Norlock.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative