Thank you.
By and large, it's safe to say that all parties appear to have accepted the necessity of curbing Internet crime, and of course, sexual abuse online. A number of parties and a rather wide spectrum have backed the government up on this bill. For instance, according to Lianna McDonald from the Centre for Child Protection, Bill C-13:
...will assist in stopping the misuse of technology and help numerous young people impacted and devastated by this type of [crime].
You mentioned Amanda Todd. Carol Todd, the mother of Amanda, who was a victim, declared to Canada AM on November 22, 2013:
I see this as a good step forward because there has to be consequences for actions and instead of this being a grey area; it’s more black and white.
David Butt, counsel for the Kids Internet Safety Alliance, in The Globe and Mail, November 21, 2013, said:
...the new bill is a great improvement over trying to fit the round peg of this particular problem into the square hole of our existing child pornography laws.
This is from Wayne MacKay of Dalhousie's law school:
The Criminal Code is our biggest sanction and making it an offence sends a clear signal.
Allan Hubley, Ottawa city councillor and father of a bullied teen who took his own life, said on Canada AM:
When we were younger, you always knew who your bully was, you could do something about it. Now, up until the time this legislation gets enacted, they can hide behind that.
They have the anonymity. He continues:
Not only does it start to take the mask off of them, through this legislation there is serious consequences for their actions.
So victims are saying it's time for this law to be enacted, and of course, there has been some fear that there would be intrusion into privacy. How is this act and the ability to gather information and evidence on Internet crime balanced with the need to protect privacy?