Glenda Carson, National Chairperson of Social Justice, January 10, 2024
FOR: Chairpersons of Social Justice at All Levels (new structure) and Chairpersons of Education and Health and Community Life at All Levels (old structure)
ATT: Letter to CCCB re. Bill S-210
Dear sisters in the League,
Please consider a special request from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) received in December 2023 for League members to support Bill S-210: Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act. This request is in response to the member of parliament (MP) for Peace River–Westlock, who contacted the CCCB seeking its support for the bill. In a letter to the League, the CCCB expressed that “The Catholic Women’s League of Canada would be better positioned to lobby the government of Canada to protect young persons from exposure to pornography, including possibly to support Bill S-210.”
Bill S-210 would make it an offence for organizations to allow young persons access to sexually explicit material on the Internet. The bill would require these organizations to implement meaningful age verification measures on their websites. It was introduced to the Senate by the Hon. Senator Miville-Dechêne on November 24, 2021, and after debate, completed its third reading on April 18, 2023. It was then forwarded to the House of Commons, where it has completed its second reading. On December 13, 2023, it was referred to committee for consideration.
The topic of Bill S-210 is of significance to the League as Internet access to pornography for children and youth has been a longstanding concern of members. Two resolutions remain active: 2002.11 Responsible Internet Use for Children and 2017.02 Mandatory Age Verification Mechanisms for Adult Pornographic Websites. These resolutions were also addressed during the national resolutions committee visit to the federal government in February 2023. The report on the 2023 government meetings, written by then National Chairperson of Resolutions Rolande Chernichan (2021-2023), can be found in the spring 2023 issue of The Canadian League.
The House of Commons resumes sitting on January 29, 2024, so time is of the essence for members to encourage MPs to support Bill S-210. Please consider encouraging all members to communicate the importance of supporting Bill S-210 as soon as possible and to consider, as individuals, taking part in the MP for Peace River–Westlock’s petition, as requested in the enclosed letter. The petition can also be accessed on his website.
Thank you for considering this urgent and significant advocacy need, as requested by the CCCB.
God bless,
Glenda Carson
National Chairperson of Social Justice