Mr. Speaker, over the last few months I have received a number of white ribbons containing approximately 1,000 signatures of constituents of Crowfoot. The ribbons of signatures, which I have been asked to present to the Minister of Justice, are an appeal to the government to protect our children from sexual exploitation.
My constituents are asking that the age of consent be raised from 14 to 18 years of age because, as Gladys Kupka writes, “a child of 14 really is a child and unable to protect him or herself”.
I implore the Minister of Justice to heed the advice of my constituents, an opinion that has been expressed not only in the riding of Crowfoot, but throughout the country, and that is, to raise the age of consent for sexual activity.
Please amend the law to effectively protect the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, from sadistic predators who seek to sexually exploit them.