Proof of consent for commercial pornography

S-252 Stopping Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (the Protect Act): An Act to amend the Criminal Code (consent to pornographic material)

Bans making or sharing commercial pornographic material without verifying age and consent, and requires websites to remove material upon request.

What Bill S-252 would do

The bill would amend the Criminal Code to ban making, distributing, or advertising pornographic material for commercial purposes without first confirming that every person depicted was at least 18 years old and gave express consent when the material was made. It would also make it a criminal offence for a website operator to refuse or fail to remove pornographic material after receiving a takedown request from the maker or from anyone depicted in it.

Official text (opens in a new tab)

Official summary

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to prohibit a person from making, distributing or advertising pornographic material for commercial purposes without having first ascertained that, at the time the material was made, each person whose image is depicted in the material was 18 years of age or older and gave their express consent to their image being depicted. It also makes it an offence for the operator of a website to fail to remove pornographic material if the maker of the material or a person whose image is depicted in the material requests that the material be removed. Available on the Senate of Canada website at the following address: www.sencanada.ca/en

The government's summary, printed at the front of the bill as introduced.

Kind: Senator's bill
Sponsor: Yonah Martin, Senator
Introduced: October 20 in the Senate
Last activity: October 20

Where it stands

ProposedOct 20
Being debated
Almost law
Law

Introduced October 20; not debated yet

First reading in the Senate done October 20

Before the Senate on 1 sitting day, October 20
Second reading in the Senate now
Third reading in the Senate not yet
First reading in the House not yet
Second reading in the House not yet
Committee in the House not yet
Report stage in the House not yet
Third reading in the House not yet
Royal assent not yet

Exact procedural stages

Officially: At second reading in the Senate · since October 20, 2026.

Senate
1. First reading in the Senate: done, 2026-10-20
2. Second reading in the Senate: current stage
3. Third reading in the Senate: not yet reached
House
1. First reading in the House: not yet reached
2. Second reading in the House: not yet reached
3. Committee in the House: not yet reached
4. Report stage in the House: not yet reached
5. Third reading in the House: not yet reached
Royal assent
1. Royal assent: not yet reached

Debates in the House 0

No debate on this bill is in the record we hold yet (Senate debates are not covered).

Discussion

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Status, stages and votes from LEGISinfo. Debates are linked from the House's own record of what was before it. Grades are the site's analysis of each statement.