In his bill designed to “keep kids safe from predators,” Justice Minister Sean Fraser has proposed that Canada get rid of the six-month minimum for rape of a child under 16 — and every other minimum on the books other than for murder and treason.
It’s one of several problematic provisions buried in the middle of Bill C-16, which Fraser jubilantly tabled Tuesday. And to be fair to him, the bill isn’t completely bad: it would criminalize deepfake and bestiality porn, would make child sextortion a crime that comes with a minimum of one year in jail, and would supposedly make charges a little harder to kill when a trial runs over deadline. Those changes are very welcome.
