Madam Speaker, all of us share the hon. member's concern which is how to protect children from sexual exploitation. That is the nub of the matter.
The question the member is really posing is whether raising the age of consent from 14 to 16 would actually protect children in that vulnerable age group. It may seem on the surface that it would do the trick, but in fact it would not. The member cited the example of a 14 year old having sex with an adult. That is called pedophilia and that is illegal.
I would strongly recommend that the member look at the initiatives the Minister of Justice has put forth to actually strengthen the protection of children, not just between the ages of 14 and 16, but between the ages of 14 and 18. The initiatives the Minister of Justice has put forth go a lot further than actually raising the age of consent from 14 to 16. I think that is the issue we should be grappling with.
I have to confess that I looked at this very closely. It sounds on the surface that it might do a good job. However, it would criminalize a 15 year old having sexual relations with a 17 year old and we do not want to do that. We want to make sure that children, not just from 14 to 16 years, but children from 14 to 18 years are protected.
The range of measures and initiatives the Minister of Justice has implemented will protect children from 14 to 18 years from exactly the type of abuse and sexual exploitation that the member is referring to, and which all members of the House find reprehensible.