CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) -- Seeking to crack down on sexual predators in the era of the Internet, Canada's government brought in legislation Thursday would raise the legal age of consent for sex to 16 from an unusually young 14.

Justice Minister Vic Toews said changing the law will bring Canada's standards into line with those in several other countries, and he complained Canada's relatively low age of consent has attracted sexual criminals from more restrictive countries.

But the proposal, first outlined in April, will also allow youngsters to have consensual sex with people up to five years older or younger, even if that means one partner is aged 14 or 15.

"Our goal in this legislation is not to criminalize teenage youth who may be involved in sexual activity with their peers," Toews told reporters in Ottawa. "It is to make the law more effective in protecting vulnerable young people from adult sexual predators."

Consent standards vary around the world in terms of age, gender and sexual orientation. In most U.S. states, the age of sexual consent is at least 16 and in some cases -- Arizona is one example -- it is as old as 18.

Toews predicted that the move would find broad support among Canadians, with police forces across the country and with lawmakers from all political stripes.

However, some advocacy groups, including the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, have already expressed concern about changing the law in this way.

The federation, formerly Planned Parenthood, has said there is no evidence that raising the age of consent will improve protection for young people, and warned it may discourage young people from seeking out birth control options or other assistance.

Toews introduced legislation in the House of Commons Thursday, the last day of proceedings before Parliament's summer break, so debate will start only after Parliament resumes on September 18.

Linkypoo

So... our consent age will still be 14, unless the other person is over 19, then the age is 16. Seems pretty fair to me.

Hmmm....

The federation, formerly Planned Parenthood, has said there is no evidence that raising the age of consent will improve protection for young people, and warned it may discourage young people from seeking out birth control options or other assistance.

AKA abortions. They love killing kids, huh?

I could hear them saying..."The age of consent should be 12 since that would provide us with possibly two more years of, um, you know, providing birth control options."

Ann Coulter pointed this out recently: libs whine over 2,500 war deaths but celebrate killing millions of babies and access to abortion on demand.

AKA abortions.  They love killing kids, huh?

I could hear them saying..."The age of consent should be 12 since that would provide us with possibly two more years of, um, you know, providing birth control options."

Ann Coulter pointed this out recently:  libs whine over 2,500 war deaths but celebrate killing millions of babies and access to abortion on demand.

And you type this while packing your bag for a trip to Canada in search for a cute 16 year old!

Seems very reasonable to me. What took so long to update this law?

And you type this while packing your bag for a trip to Canada in search for a cute 16 year old! 

Possibly.

I don't see why sex is controlled, in the first place... If two people wanna f@#k... let 'em f@#k... Who cares that one of them is 13 and the other is 28? I mean... if they both want to.. why not?

BV... it's a matter of deciding when somebody "wants to" or when they are just doing it for booze, free stuff, etc.

Say it with me... Sss-aaarrr-kaaa-sssmmm.

I don't see why sex is controlled, in the first place... If two people wanna f@#k... let 'em f@#k... Who cares that one of them is 13 and the other is 28? I mean... if they both want to.. why not?

Cause they might end up on Dateline NBC.

Ann Coulter pointed this out recently:  libs whine over 2,500 war deaths but celebrate killing millions of babies and access to abortion on demand.

Actually, most liberals I know are for taking every realistic preventative measure possible to ensure that an abortion isn't necessary, whereas conservatives bitch about abortions while embracing a policy that actually ends up causing more of them.

And by the way, I was raised Catholic, and if there is one thing that stuck with me, it's the belief that the fetus is a real human life and that killing it is wrong. But I can't possibly bring myself to side with such a fanatical group that completely fails to acknowledge reality.

ok, read this and i have 3 things to say:

1: this wont work. Im sorry but it just wont. If they lower the age to 14, this will only allow way to MORE (oh god forbid) teenage sex, which is already a problem.

2: in a domino efect to my first reply this will also raise teen pregnancy cases and thus as further abortion and i shouldnt go any further into that cuz we've all heard it.

3: through my eyes this wont help the case of sexual predators. sexual predators will always remain a problem (well ok, thats a duh) and lowering the age will probaly cause the problem to grow due to more eligible candidates for legal sex and so on and so forth.

bottom line: no, wont work, no. I laugh at you people and your beleif that you can fix world wide problems when in reality you cant.

Uhh...the age is now 14, they're trying to raise it to 16.

And anything Ann Coulter says makes me giggle uncomforatably then ask myself why people like that are allowed to remain. If anyone should have been aborted.....

AKA abortions.  They love killing kids, huh?

"Birth control" includes condoms and the Pill. The love preventing kids from having kids.

Uhh...the age is now 14, they're trying to raise it to 16.

And anything Ann Coulter says makes me giggle uncomforatably then ask myself why people like that are allowed to remain.  If anyone should have been aborted.....

Ann Coulter is a sweetheart. Very calm, always rational, and stunningly attractive.

Do I really need this? [/sarcasm]?

I can feel her trying to eat my soul in this picture:

I'm suddenly feeling out of the loop. I've heard of her before, but I have no idea who she is.

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter

AKA abortions.  They love killing kids, huh?

I could hear them saying..."The age of consent should be 12 since that would provide us with possibly two more years of, um, you know, providing birth control options."

Ann Coulter pointed this out recently:  libs whine over 2,500 war deaths but celebrate killing millions of babies and access to abortion on demand.

I like how conservatives like to tell kids that condoms don't work, the morning after pill is the same as having an abortion, and that there shouldn't be an HPV vaccine so there is an incentive to not have sex. My favorite local conservative is the guy that drives around downtown at lunch in an old Uhaul truck with a picture of an aborted fetus on the side. The conservatives that murder abortion doctors are rather fun.

but most of all, the conservatives that consider me sub-human, dirty, and immoral because I would like to have my long term commitment to my partner legally recognised in case something were to happen to one of us..... those conservatives are my favorite.

I like to generalize about conservatives too...

Ann Coulter pointed this out recently:  libs whine over 2,500 war deaths but celebrate killing millions of babies and access to abortion on demand.

Is Ann Coulter 16 yet? I'd love to give that a ride.

bottom line, if kids feel attraction, they will have sex. No law will stop them. IMHO, birth control is needed. but kids ought to be told of hte consequences of having sex....possible pregnancy, intimacy issues, getting used.....

I like how conservatives like to tell kids that condoms don't work, the morning after pill is the same as having an abortion, and that there shouldn't be an HPV vaccine so there is an incentive to not have sex. My favorite local conservative is the guy that drives around downtown at lunch in an old Uhaul truck with a picture of an aborted fetus on the side. The conservatives that murder abortion doctors are rather fun.

but most of all, the conservatives that consider me sub-human, dirty, and immoral because I would like to have my long term commitment to my partner legally recognised in case something were to happen to one of us..... those conservatives are my favorite.

I like to generalize about conservatives too...

Keep in mind there are plenty of conservatives like me who don't care if you're gay. (Get married up here if it bugs you.) Generally, gay people very productive members of a society who do very well for themselves. I'd rather have gay people in my country who contribute to the economy and pay their taxes on time than a fat "religious conservative" slob who sits on the couch all day guzzling Molson and watching "Leave it to Beaver" re-runs collecting "employment insurance" and complaining about how gay people and abortion destroy the moral fabric of the society...

Is Ann Coulter 16 yet?  I'd love to give that a ride.

I'd watch it if I were you... I think she has a collection of handcuffs and vinyl whips...

'whi-pissh'

We in the West have to realize that all of these debates, whether about age of consent, gay marriage, abortion, etc. are all possible because millions of people have died over the past couple thousand years to allow us the luxury of our "decadent" ways.

Women and children were once chattels. Two hundred years ago, it was common in most cultures to be married by 12 or 13, but don't forget: people were usually worked to death by 35.

Now, we have the luxury to sit back and say that children are precious and that childhood is golden. Personally, I think that is a lot of BS. Kids are far smarter and far more devious than society (or the Courts) allow for. Walk by any school yard and listen to the brats talk!

And the definition of pedophile is someone who has sexual relations with "pre-pubescent youth," which in most cases is the age of 11 or 12.

I am sure there is alot of legitimate child abuse, both sexual and non-sexual, out there, but I am suspicous of so-called child experts and the Courts themselves in their sensationalism and their current witch hunts.

One of the first convictions acheived in Canada under our current child pornography laws was the 17 year old brother of one of my employees a few years back. He had had the misfortune of downloading a ton of porn, some of which involved pre-pubescent kids. The law came down on the poor kid like a ton of bricks. It truly was a joke, but not to him, of course.

Kids are kids and sex is sex. I had my first sexual experience at the age of 6 with (gasp!) a 9 year old! When the law and child welfare people get involved, it only increases the feeling of guilt and makes what may have been just innocent experimentation or healthy curiousity turn into something ugly and dirty.

But then, we in NOrth America seem to have a very bizarre love-hate relationship with sex anyway.

I'd watch it if I were you... I think she has a collection of handcuffs and vinyl whips...

'whi-pissh'

SIGN ME UP FOR THAT!!!!

I'm suddenly feeling out of the loop. I've heard of her before, but I have no idea who she is.

Here ya go

If Ann Coulter and G.W. Bush had a kid, would the movie The Omen come true?

Ann Coulter and Katherine Harris would be the ultimate lesbo couple.