Mr. Speaker, private member’s Bill C-291 passed with unanimous support in the last Parliament to replace the term “child pornography” in our laws with what it really is: child sexual abuse and exploitation material. Sexual abuse and exploitation of children are some of the most horrendous crimes, and viewing child sexual abuse and exploitation material represents a revictimization of victims traumatized for life.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that two men who had possession of hundreds of images and videos of children as young as three years old could not be imprisoned for a mandatory one-year term. For a prolonged period, these two possessed hundreds of images and videos produced by torturing innocent children, but the court applied imaginary scenarios rather than the facts in issuing this disgusting ruling.
I urge the government to do the right thing, stand with children and victims of child sexual abuse material, and invoke the notwithstanding clause.