Discussion · Private Members' Business
Alexis Deschênes Bloc Québécois
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it illegal to share online porn with kids and lets the government block websites that do not check users' ages. Kids spend hours online every day, and seeing porn can harm them. This bill will not stop everything, but it will make it harder for minors to access it.”
“Mr. Speaker, what purpose do the laws we pass here serve? They serve to civilize society. That is what I have always loved about the law and the body of legislation built over time. Obviously, when new sectors emerge, the law often lags a little behind. The government has to catch up and figure out what is happening. With the development of digital and virtual technology, we have work to do as legislators. Last week, one of the topics we discussed was the digital services tax. A little while ago, we discussed Bill C‑34, which also seeks to regulate the social media sector. Now, we are now discussing Bill S‑209, which is a worthwhile bill. The Bloc Québécois supports it, because what is happening online should be regulated more. More and more people are living their lives online. The online world is increasingly becoming the place where people communicate, interact, meet and learn. It is crazy. I was looking at some statistics earlier. Young people spend more than three hours a day online. The law must adapt. One of the risks children face online is coming across pornographic material, and we know that exposure to such material can have damaging effects on their healthy sexual development. Bill S-209 seeks address that issue. That is why we support it. I want to say from the outset that the Association des pédiatres du Québec also supports this bill and believes that this initiative must be commended. I think that this bill will transcend party lines. Now that information technology makes pornographic content more widely available, the government has a duty to restrict minors’ access to such material as much as possible. Bill S-209 makes it an offence for organizations to make pornographic material available to young persons on the Internet. Furthermore, it enables a designated enforcement authority to take steps to prevent pornographic material from being made available to young persons on the Internet in Canada. This bill is motivated by a desire to better regulate online access to pornographic material through age verification, which is currently limited to a mere declaration. In fact, that is the main purpose of this bill. We should commend Senator Miville-Dechêne for laying the groundwork in Bill S-203, which is moving forward under a new name. The bill does not answer every question, but it sets forth the general principles of verifying the age of customers seeking access to pornographic content. Once enacted, the bill will authorize the relevant authority to make regulations establishing a specific framework to be implemented. The bill also sets out the consequences for pornographic websites that violate the law, whether or not they are hosted in Canada. People may be wondering whether we can still civilize the virtual world when everything is hosted overseas. The answer is yes, we can still take action within our own borders. The bill allows the government to block sites that fail to comply with the future age verification regulations. Is this a silver bullet that will ensure no child ever gains access to pornographic content? Probably not. There will always be ways to circumvent age verification measures, whether through VPNs or other workarounds. Nonetheless, we believe the bill will have beneficial effects because it will make access more difficult and, ultimately, protect children. In our view, supporting Bill S‑209 is common sense. It means standing up for measures designed to protect the public and promote healthy lifestyle choices. This bill addresses a real concern in our communities. That is why we will support this bill and recommend that it pass second reading.”
Mr. Speaker, what purpose do the laws we pass here serve? They serve to civilize society. That is what I have always loved about the law and the body of legislation built over time. Obviously, when new sectors emerge, the law often lags a little behind. The government has to catch up and figure out what is happening. With the development of digital and virtual technology, we have work to do as legislators. Last week, one of the topics we discussed was the digital services tax. A little while ago, we discussed Bill C‑34, which also seeks to regulate the social media sector. Now, we are now discussing Bill S‑209, which is a worthwhile bill. The Bloc Québécois supports it, because what is happening online should be regulated more. More and more people are living their lives online. The online world is increasingly becoming the place where people communicate, interact, meet and learn. It is crazy. I was looking at some statistics earlier. Young people spend more than three hours a day online. The law must adapt. One of the risks children face online is coming across pornographic material, and we know that exposure to such material can have damaging effects on their healthy sexual development. Bill S-209 seeks address that issue. That is why we support it. I want to say from the outset that the Association des pédiatres du Québec also supports this bill and believes that this initiative must be commended. I think that this bill will transcend party lines. Now that information technology makes pornographic content more widely available, the government has a duty to restrict minors’ access to such material as much as possible. Bill S-209 makes it an offence for organizations to make pornographic material available to young persons on the Internet. Furthermore, it enables a designated enforcement authority to take steps to prevent pornographic material from being made available to young persons on the Internet in Canada. This bill is motivated by a desire to better regulate online access to pornographic material through age verification, which is currently limited to a mere declaration. In fact, that is the main purpose of this bill. We should commend Senator Miville-Dechêne for laying the groundwork in Bill S-203, which is moving forward under a new name. The bill does not answer every question, but it sets forth the general principles of verifying the age of customers seeking access to pornographic content. Once enacted, the bill will authorize the relevant authority to make regulations establishing a specific framework to be implemented. The bill also sets out the consequences for pornographic websites that violate the law, whether or not they are hosted in Canada. People may be wondering whether we can still civilize the virtual world when everything is hosted overseas. The answer is yes, we can still take action within our own borders. The bill allows the government to block sites that fail to comply with the future age verification regulations. Is this a silver bullet that will ensure no child ever gains access to pornographic content? Probably not. There will always be ways to circumvent age verification measures, whether through VPNs or other workarounds. Nonetheless, we believe the bill will have beneficial effects because it will make access more difficult and, ultimately, protect children. In our view, supporting Bill S‑209 is common sense. It means standing up for measures designed to protect the public and promote healthy lifestyle choices. This bill addresses a real concern in our communities. That is why we will support this bill and recommend that it pass second reading.