Thank you, Mr. Brock, for your question. That's very true. We have to realize that children themselves who are victims of sexual abuse are often placed in a psychological prison for life. Our penalties, in my view, should reflect the fact that children are not only harmed; they are being continually harmed.
In this type of offence, for the possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material, they are victimized each and every time somebody downloads it, somebody watches it, somebody accesses it or somebody distributes it. We cannot overlook this. The abuse itself happens once, but it is perpetuated each and every time somebody accesses those things. The mandatory minimums passed by the Harper government were struck down, and at this point I am trying to express to the minister the disappointment with the Liberal government that it hasn't acted.
Right now, if you sexually assault an adult, the penalty is 10 years for taking their sexual dignity, inviolability and consent by force. Sexual interference—that is, a sexual offence against a child who is incapable of consent by law—has a maximum sentence of 14 years. Robbery, which is the taking of property from somebody by force, has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. We treat the taking of property more seriously than we do the taking of somebody's dignity and consent. If you were to ask people, “Would you rather be the victim of a robbery or the victim of a sexual assault?”, I can tell you that 99%, maybe 100%, would say, “I will take the robbery any day.”
It is time we start addressing the issue of sexual offences, particularly sexual offences against children, with the seriousness it deserves. This bill is the first step that I will undertake. I have another private member's bill on this, Bill C-299. I thank Mr. Arnold for running with this with such vigour. I appreciate all he has done with that.
Thank you.