Justice committee  I would like to address the reverse onus, specifically regarding proving that a relationship is not exploitive. By saying that you can prove that a relationship is non-exploitive in a court of law, what you are saying is that this isn't a black and white issue. There are grey a

Justice committee  It's a very hard question to answer. Of course, I unfortunately haven't conducted a poll of all of the youth in Canada. I would like to do that, but it's kind of impossible. I think there are some youth who would support this bill. I believe there are other youth who would not.

Justice committee  That's our submission.

Justice committee  The members of the Age of Consent Committee know from present and recent personal experience how youth are marginalized and their voices rarely heard in mainstream political processes. We note with anger and resentment that pushing forward this bill, which has had admitted virtua

Justice committee  Thank you very much for having us here today. My name is Nicholas Dodds. I'm a youth rights advocate from Aurora, Ontario. Andrew, would you introduce yourself?

Justice committee  The Age of Consent Committee is a coalition of youth and youth advocates who came together in early 2006 out of concern for the dangerous effects of Bill C-22, which proposes to raise the basic age of consent in Canada. Our members consist of students, social workers, sexual hea

Justice committee  After reading the news reports and minutes from previous witnesses at this hearing, it is frustrating to hear the type of evidence being presented to bolster the case for Bill C-22. One newspaper reports that a witness used the sexual abuse of a two-year-old as justification fo