Is our government’s current legislation giving sexual freedom to Canadian youth, or taking away any chance they have for protection and justice? Bill C-22, a bill to raise the age of sexual protection from fourteen to sixteen, was passed by the House of Commons and was in the Senate before it adjourned. As a twenty-one-year-old Canadian, I would like to voice my concerns.

I have a sister who is fourteen. Tragically, because we live in Canada, this means that any man, whether twenty or fifty, could seduce, molest, and have sex with her without fear of legal consequences. The possibility that this could happen to a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy or girl sickens and disturbs me. Doesn't it seem wrong for people to be able to have sex with our young teens and walk away unpunished?

The UN has declared anyone under eighteen to be a minor, therefore, the message our current legislation is sending is “it is perfectly acceptable for adults to have sex with children.” This message is being received loud and clear by those who would take advantage of our sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters. Canada has made itself a veritable haven for pedophiles and child molesters.

I must admit I do not understand the motivations of those who are fighting to keep the age of protection low. While they may be trying to bestow freedom on our youth, in reality they are leaving them vulnerable to sexual predators. Please… can’t we do everything in our power to protect the next generation of Canadians from sexual exploitation? I trust that the Senate will respect the decision of the House of Commons, as the public's representatives in our democracy, and pass Bill C-22 with expedience once it reconvenes in the fall.

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RE: Bill S-207 (Anti-Spanking Bill)

As a young Canadian who will likely be one of Canada's future parents, I would like to share my thoughts on Bill S-207, which would criminalize spanking in Canada. This bill was in committee before the Senate adjourned.

To be honest, I find the totalitarian slant to this bill rather disturbing. In a 2002 poll, 72% of Canadians said they wanted to retain the right to choose spanking as a form of discipline. This is not an issue regarding abuse, but rather whether parents will be allowed the option to use reasonable physical force as a tool to discipline their children, or whether the federal government will make this decision for them. Canadian children are already protected from abuse in the name of “punishment” by child welfare laws.

Bill S-207 raises valid concerns about the government's trust in its citizens to make choices for the well-being of their children. My parents used spanking responsibly. Far from being abuse, if anything I am better for it. I find I have a more positive attitude toward my parents and authorities in general than most of my peers, an attitude we need to foster in youth for the health of our society. A study in Sweden linked banning spanking with a rise in violence, and a New Zealand study concluded that spanking does not produce aggression or anti-social behaviour later in life.

Protection of children as vulnerable citizens is extremely important. However, since children are protected from physical abuse in the Criminal Code of Canada, I sincerely hope the government will uphold democracy by respecting the majority. It is in our country's best interest for the federal government to leave the decision of how to discipline where it belongs: with individual moms and dads, who know their children best. 

Victory in the House: Child protection bill passes 3^rd reading; age of consent for sex to lower from 16 to 14

A historic victory has recently been won for the cause of morality in Canada. Our current legislation in Canada allows adults to have sex with 14 and 15 year olds without fear of legal repercussions. In what could arguably be one of the clearest and most successful piece of socially conservative legislation in the past decade, Bill C-22, introduced by pro-family MP’s of the new Conservative government, not only provides protection for Canada’s 14 and 15 year olds from sexual exploitation, it sets a precedent that will no doubt pave the way for future pro-morality legislation and demonstrates a shift from the kind of liberal legislation that has made Canada a haven for sexual predators and promiscuity.

THE MARRIAGE VOTE:

STEPHEN HARPER'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, JAN 23RD, 2006

Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
 
The following is the text of Stephen Harper’s victory speech from Monday night.
 
‘The moment is here’
 
Tonight our great country has voted for change, and Canadians have asked our party to take the lead in delivering that change. To Canadians I say this: we will honour your trust, and we will deliver on our commitments. There are no individual victories in politics. Politics is a team sport, and there are a number of people I would like to thank.
 
First and foremost, I would like to thank the people of Calgary Southwest for having given me the great privilege of serving another term in the House of Commons as your representative. Though I am not often in Calgary, or even Alberta, Laureen and I always take you with us. No matter where we go, this remains home. So to my local campaign team, I say thank you for a job so well done.
 
I would also like to thank our campaign team in Ottawa, which I know is celebrating at their own party right now, and to the thousands of Conservative candidates and volunteers across Canada. I thank you for your labours, your donations and your prayers. I congratulate you for working so hard to bring our great party together, and for running solid campaigns in every corner of our country. We came together as a party, and now we will govern for all Canadians.
 
On a personal note, I would like to thank my family. To my mother, my father, my brothers and so many other relatives and close friends, thank you for your unwavering support and encouragement over so many years. To Ben and Rachel, your dad’s heart aches when he does not get to spend as much time with you as he would like, and I love you very much. To Laureen, a day never goes by when I am not in awe of how you have managed the surprises of this marriage. Your love and support keeps me going.
 
Earlier this evening, I spoke with the prime minister. He offered both his congratulations and his co-operation as we begin this process of change. Since 1988, Mr. Martin has worked hard for the people of Canada as a member of Parliament, minister of Finance, and prime minister. I thank Mr. Martin for his service to Canada and to Canadians.
 
To Mr. Layton and Monsieur Duceppe, I congratulate you for running solid campaigns. All of our parties have different philosophies, but we are all democrats. We are all stronger because you, our opponents, have put yourselves on the line and advanced the policies and values you believe in.
 
I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate each and every Canadian who put his or her name forward for public office in this election. To those who were successful, I look forward to working with you in the House of Commons. To those who were not, I salute your efforts. Having run and lost in elections before, I know how difficult it is to pour your heart into a campaign and come up short. Thank you for putting yourselves forward in the service of your country.
 
During this campaign, we talked a lot about values. One of the oldest and enduring Canadian values is democracy  - the principle that we can change our government without risking our freedoms or our lives. Despite the divisions and discord of an election, the ability to peacefully change and renew our nation’s leadership remains one of our country’s great strengths.
 
This is a freedom for which our ancestors perished and our veterans fought - for which those in our Armed Forces today still sacrifice, for which too many in our world still yearn. It is a freedom which we must always - always - cherish as Canadians.
 
Today, for the 39th time in 139 years, Canadians have elected a new Parliament. And as we have done many times before, Canadians have selected a new government. Let me say here tonight, that through all of these different governments, with all their different priorities, in all their different eras, one constant binds us from (John A.) Macdonald’s coalition of Tories and Reformers to the modern Conservative Party. Canada - strong, united, independent, and free.
 
Those who did not vote for me, I pledge to lead a government that will work for all of us - we will move forward together.
 
Our national identity was not forged by government policy. It does not flow from any one program, any one leader or any one party. Our Canada is rooted in our shared history, and in the values, which have and will endure. Throughout this campaign, I have been inspired by the thousands of Canadians I met who embody those values. Individuals, families, workers, and business people trying to get ahead. Parents doing their best to teach their kids right from wrong. Immigrants discovering new opportunities in a new land, seniors seeking security, the young promoting their ideals, East and West, English and French, city and country, men and women, new Canadians and old. This is the Canada we know. In asking us to lead change, the Canadian people have asked us to pursue our priorities.
 
Throughout this campaign, we were crystal-clear about where we will lead. First and foremost, we will clean up Ottawa by proposing and passing the Federal Accountability Act. We will do this because shuffling the deck in Ottawa is not enough. We need to change the system. And we will change the system to strengthen our institutions and make them more accountable to you, the Canadian taxpayers.
 
We will reduce your tax burden, starting by cutting the GST from seven to six per cent immediately and to five per cent over our mandate. We will reform our justice system to make it stronger and to ensure that we turn back the growing plague of guns, gangs and drugs in our cities and communities. We will offer parents choice and results in child care. And we will work with our provinces to give Canadians the health care they’ve paid for by developing a patient wait times guarantee.
 
Perhaps most importantly, we will begin the task of rebuilding federalism in the province of Quebec. I am especially proud of the fact that both Anglophones and Francophones worked together to bring about real change in Quebec. Our government will build a new and dynamic voice for federalism in Quebec.
 
To the people of the West, let me say one thing and let me be clear: the West is now in. Canada will work for all of us. To people in Atlantic Canada - the very different provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia - we know that made-in-Ottawa solutions are not the answer. We will work to give you more control over your resources because I know that, for my ancestral home, the best is yet to come.
 
To the people of the North - including the Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories - I say, we see your potential and we look forward to helping you achieve your dreams.
 
And finally, Ontario. Thank you for your increased support, and your confidence. A strong Canada requires a strong Ontario, and our government will keep our economic heartland moving forward. To those around the world who have followed the campaign, our message is the same - the result tonight signals a change of government, not a change of country. We will stay the course of balanced budgets, low inflation, debt repayment, and economic stability. We will continue to help defend our values and democratic ideals around the globe, as so courageously demonstrated by those young Canadian soldiers who are serving, and who have sacrificed, in Afghanistan.
 
While always charting a path in the best interests of Canada, we will seek to work co-operatively with our friends and allies, and constructively with all nations of the world. Tonight, although Canadians have voted for change, they have not given any one party a majority in the House of Commons. They have asked us to co-operate, to work together, and to get on with tackling the real issues that matter to ordinary working people and their families. I look forward to working with all of the parties and all members of Parliament to build consensus and move Canada forward.
 
Friends, I have never been so proud of our great country, and I am honoured and overwhelmed to be asked to lead it. We will govern as we campaigned - in a spirit of hope, not fear. We will do all we can. We will give it all we’ve got. From time to time, we will even make mistakes. But each and every day, I can assure you one thing - I will dedicate myself to making Canada a united, stronger, more prosperous and safer country. The time has come, the moment is here, and tomorrow we get down to work - for individuals, for families, and for communities, for all of us.
 
Thank you. Good night, and God bless Canada

Responses of the party leaders elected to the House of Commons

The face of contemporary Canada is a mosaic of individuals from different linguistic, cultural and religious backgrounds—a tapestry of diversity and vibrancy. Indeed, Canada is known for being home to a wide mix of religions, and the political structure in our country proudly supports religious pluralism as it strives to promote individual liberties and freedom of expression. Religious institutions are therefore valuable components of Canadian modern society.