Conservative MP nowhere to be found as groups push for action on his bill

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OTTAWA – Liberal MPs say Conservative MP Arnold Viersen is “silenced” as a House of Commons committee tries to study his bill to stop online sexual exploitation, while child protection groups call on MPs to put aside their differences and move the bill forward with or without him.

Viersen’s bill, C-270, aims to ban individuals and companies from creating, distributing or advertising pornographic material without first ensuring that the persons depicted are at least 18 years old and have their express consent have given.

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The bill received unanimous cross-party support in the House of Commons earlier this year and was sent to the Justice Committee for further consideration. It is rare for legislation to come from the opposition as they rarely get that far in the process.

But since October 31, the work of the Justice Committee has been at a standstill. Viersen is ignoring requests to testify on his own bill and his conservative colleagues have filibustered the committee to prevent a vote on extending the bill’s study for another thirty days.

As a result, C-270 could be sent back to a still-paralyzed House on November 19 without amendments – and with no clear deadline for when or if it will pass on third reading.

Liberal MPs believe Conservatives want to prevent Viersen from speaking in a public forum after discussing his socially conservative views on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage – which he said he would vote against – on a Liberal MP’s podcast earlier this year.

“It takes a lot of effort to keep him from testifying for an hour,” Liberal MP Chris Bittle said in an interview about the Conservative filibustering.

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Bittle added that pro-life groups “would be shocked to find one of their most outspoken pro-life members silenced by the party.”

His colleague James Maloney, who tweeted #WheresArnoldsaid he would personally be “furious” if his own colleagues prevented him from testifying on his own bill.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s office declined to comment on whether it had specifically banned Viersen from speaking to the committee about his private member’s bill. And Viersen has so far ignored requests for comment from the National Post.

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor said the focus on Viersen is “a bit of a distraction” and that it is not “absolutely necessary” to have him as a witness, as others might testify.

“I think the real question is: why are the Conservatives not allowing the committee to formally request a postponement of study of the bill?”

Several groups that supported C-270 are calling on MPs to put aside their differences and advance legislation to better protect victims of online exploitation.

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“Out of respect for survivors and the protection of every Canadian, we encourage the committee to continue the process without delay,” said Janet Campbell, president and CEO of The Joy Smith Foundation, which raises awareness about human trafficking.

“This is a human rights issue that everyone on the committee should see introduced to protect their own loved ones and the constituents they serve,” she added.

Some have even submitted comments to the committee, arguing that more emphasis should be placed on monetization or AI-generated images in pornographic content. But they agree that C-270 is a good first step in protecting women and children.

Julia Beazley, director of public policy at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, said she wants MPs to know Viersen’s bill is “sorely needed and overdue.”

“Bill C-270 will help prevent the spread of child sexual abuse materials, images of exploitation and abuse, and intimate images shared without consent. Preventing sexual victimization online is something that MPs from all parties can support,” she said.

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Beazley added that her organization highlights the “escalating threat of generative AI, which creates explicit images using both real and AI-created images of children and adults” and asks the committee to ensure that that type of content is addressed.

Friends of Canadian Media wrote a submission to the committee arguing that the bill could go even further by making it illegal not only to advertise pornographic material that is non-consensual or depicts minors, but also to advertise alongside post this content.

“Simply put, if the content is illegal, it must also be illegal to make money from it,” the submission reads.

Federal lawmakers have been studying for years how to best respond to the removal of child pornography and non-consensual intimate images or videos from streaming platforms like Pornhub, but have made little progress in changing the legislation.

Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne advanced S-210 in 2021, which would effectively implement an age verification mechanism when accessing sexually explicit material on the internet, and has raised widespread privacy concerns among civil society and legal groups.

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Earlier this year, the federal government introduced its long-awaited Online Harms Act, which aims to force online platforms to monitor and remove harmful content, including non-consensual intimate images and content that victimizes children, such as sexual abuse.

However, the bill also proposes a broad expansion of hate speech laws, including some that would allow sentences of up to life imprisonment, which has led the opposition and critics to raise concerns about its impact on freedom of expression online.

Given the political landscape and the likelihood that an election will be called soon, Penny Rankin of the National Council of Women of Canada is urging parliamentarians to take legislative action that can better protect children online.

“Canada is so far behind. We are so far behind in addressing legislation to protect our children online, and they are vulnerable,” she said.

And while she doesn’t think C-270 “checks all the boxes,” Rankin said it’s a good bill.

‘We need something. We actually have nothing.”

National Post
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