Bill C-209 explained in plain English
An Act to prevent the use of the Internet to distribute pornographic material involving children
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill proposes licensing internet service providers to prevent the distribution of child pornography online and establishes penalties for violations.
This bill, titled the Internet Child Pornography Prevention Act, aims to prevent the use of the internet for distributing child pornography. It proposes a licensing system for internet service providers (ISPs) managed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and sets conditions through ministerial regulations. ISPs would be required to cooperate in reducing the spread of child pornography and facilitating sex offenses involving children. The bill also outlines penalties for individuals and ISPs who violate its provisions, including measures for blocking access to identified child pornography content. Additionally, it allows the Minister to enter into agreements with provinces and foreign states, and to prescribe special powers for search warrants related to electronic data.
- Establishes a licensing system for internet service providers (ISPs) overseen by the CRTC.
- Requires ISPs to take steps to prevent the use of their services for child pornography distribution and facilitating sex offenses involving children.
- Prohibits the knowing use of ISP services for child pornography or by individuals convicted of related offenses.
- Criminalizes the possession of child pornography retrieved from the internet.
- Prohibits using the internet to contact or respond to contacts for the purpose of facilitating sex offenses involving children.
- Allows the Minister of Industry to order ISPs to block access to identified child pornography.
- Empowers the Minister to enter into agreements with provinces and foreign states to cooperate on preventing child pornography.
- Allows the Minister to create regulations for special powers related to search warrants for electronic data.
- Sets penalties for ISPs and individuals who violate the Act.
- Internet service providers (ISPs)
- Subscribers (users of internet services)
- Individuals involved in distributing, viewing, possessing, or facilitating child pornography
- Individuals involved in using the internet to facilitate sex offences involving children
- Directors and officers of corporations acting as ISPs
- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
- The Minister of Industry
- Provinces
- Foreign states
- ISPs must obtain a license to operate.
- ISPs must not knowingly permit their services to be used for child pornography or by individuals convicted of related offenses.
- ISPs must report certain information to the CRTC.
- Individuals are prohibited from possessing child pornography retrieved from the internet.
- Individuals are prohibited from using the internet to contact or respond to contacts for the purpose of facilitating sex offenses involving children.
- ISPs must comply with ministerial orders to block access to child pornography.
- Individuals convicted of offences under the Act are liable to fines and imprisonment.
- Directors and officers of corporations can be held liable for corporate offences.
- The bill was given First Reading on November 21, 2008.
- Fines for ISPs refusing or failing to comply with blocking orders can be up to $50,000.
- Fines for contravening other provisions of the Act can be up to $100,000.
- Individuals and ISPs contravening certain provisions are guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
- ISPs refusing or failing to comply with a ministerial order to block access to child pornography are guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
- Directors and officers of corporations can be held guilty of offences and liable to the same punishments as the corporation.
- An ISP is not guilty of an offence if they immediately terminate service, take steps to remove or prevent access to unlawful material, and advise the Minister upon learning of a violation.
- The specific requirements for financial and technical resources for ISP applicants are not detailed in the bill and will be prescribed by regulation.
- The exact 'form and manner' of license applications and the 'information to be reported' by licensed ISPs are not specified in the bill and will be determined by regulation.
- The bill does not specify the exact timeline for when an ISP becomes aware of a violation for the exception in section 6(3) to apply, beyond stating 'immediately after becoming aware'.
- The effectiveness and scope of 'special powers' prescribed for search warrants are subject to ministerial regulation and must adhere to existing Criminal Code warrant principles.
- The precise criteria for the Minister's determination of 'child pornography' after reasonable inquiry are not detailed in the bill.
Defines 'child pornography' by referencing section 163.1 and lists specific sections that constitute 'designated offences involving a child' when certain conditions are met.
Source: Section 2
Establishes the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as the body responsible for granting licenses to internet service providers.
Source: Section 2
Allows for the issuance of search warrants under section 487 of the Criminal Code in relation to offences or suspected offences under this Act, with prescribed special powers.
Source: Section 10(1)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Introduction and first reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced