Update: Canada Family Action’s Campaign to Protect Children from Exploitation
Calgary, Alberta March 3 – Canada Family Action today announced details of its controversial national multi-media ad campaign: Child Porn is Not Porn – it’s a Crime Scene.
“Our goal is to increase pressure on all national parties to immediately pass Bill C54, the Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Act, so it becomes law before a federal election,” says Brian Rushfeldt, CFA president. The national advertising campaign is running on buses, large digital and traditional billboards and digital office networks in several cities.
Since CFA launched its Child Safe Nation campaign eighteen months ago, thousands of Canadians contacted their MPs, distributed campaign brochures and signed petitions demanding new legislation to protect children from internet sex predators. Over 88,000 signatures have been received on petitions to date.
“Most people consider sex crimes against children to be the most horrific crime that can be committed on another human being, and we are grateful for the strong large-scale response by Canadians. However we are appalled by the opposition in some sectors about toughening laws to protect kids.”
Bill C54 has just been referred back to Parliament unchanged by the Justice Committee, at which Mr. Rushfeldt testified January 31. “At the committee hearings, one ‘expert’ academic described pedophilia as a sexual orientation, and another psychologist stated that pedophilia is a sexual preference that cannot be changed,” said Mr. Rushfeldt. “I was also concerned that comments from lawyers representing the Criminal Lawyers Association stated mandatory minimum sentences for pedophiles are ‘not fair’ and “could interfere with rehabilitation”. That is incorrect. They also stated that removing judicial discretion would ‘send the message we can’t trust judges to craft appropriate sentences’. “Trusting judges is a concern since sentencing on this crime is all over the justice map,” said Rushfeldt.
“We are trying to remind lawmakers that the point of Bill C54 is to protect kids from sexual assault, rape and exploitation. Reasonable Canadians are demanding that children’s Charter rights to safety override any supposed rights of pedophile criminals” said Nathan Cooper from Canada Family Action.
-30-
See bus and billboard pictures at Childsafenation.ca after 12 noon MST March 3
To speak with CFA President Rushfeldt call 403-295-2159
