WHEREAS child pornography has become very accessible by way of the internet;
AND WHEREAS enforcement of the child pornography law has not been effective due to the lack of a national strategy among federal, provincial, regional and municipal authorities;
AND WHEREAS the courts have taken a lenient approach to sentencing those found guilty of violation of the child pornography law despite the fact that the Criminal Code provides a five year maximum sentence for possessing child pornography, and a ten year maximum sentence for distributing child pornography;
AND WHEREAS the courts have compromised the police forces in Canada in regard to investigations of child pornography due to the requirement that extensive evidence be provided before a search warrant is granted. Further, the requirement of time-intensive and costly full disclosure to the defence lawyers of all evidence seized in an investigation – which obligates the police to categorize and photocopy all images and photographs seized in an investigation, instead of requiring only samples of such evidence – creates further difficulties for the police force;
BE IT RESOLVED that a national strategy for the enforcement of child pornography be developed, and that the legal impediments to obtaining search warrants by the police and the extensive disclosure rules be amended to facilitate the prosecution of child pornography cases; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that sentencing guidelines be provided to the judges so that stricter sentences be handed down in child pornography cases; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that financial resources be provided for more manpower and internet training for Canadian police forces in order to enable them to properly carry out their responsibilities in enforcing the child pornography law in Canada.