Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present petitions from 612 individuals from my area of the country, which is in and around Calgary.
The petitioners, the undersigned citizens of Canada, would like to draw the attention of the House to the fact that the protection of our children from sexual predators must be a top priority of the federal government; that the Canadian Police Association, a number of provincial governments and a parliamentary committee report, all favour raising the age of consent; that the studies show that 14 and 15 year olds are most vulnerable to sexual exploitation, including recruitments from pimps; and that it is the duty of Parliament, through the enactment and enforcement of the Criminal Code, to protect the most vulnerable members of our society from harm.
These petitioners pray that this government, assembled in Parliament, take all measures necessary to immediately raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 years.