Bill S-240 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (declaration of exception pursuant to subsection 33(1) of the Charter for mandatory minimum sentences for child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 45th 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
Bill S-240 amends the Criminal Code to permit mandatory minimum sentences for child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences by declaring these provisions valid under the Charter despite potential conflicts with section 12.
This bill amends the Criminal Code to allow mandatory minimum sentences for specific offences related to child sexual abuse and exploitation material. It declares that certain provisions (paragraphs 163.1(4)(a) and 163.1(4.1)(a)) operate despite the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms' section 12, which typically protects against cruel and unusual punishment.
- Adds a new subsection (4.11) to section 163.1 of the Criminal Code
- Declares that paragraphs 163.1(4)(a) and 163.1(4.1)(a) are exceptions under subsection 33(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Allows these provisions to override section 12 of the Charter (which protects against cruel and unusual punishment)
- Individuals convicted of possession of child sexual abuse material (paragraph 163.1(4)(a))
- Individuals convicted of accessing child sexual abuse material (paragraph 163.1(4.1)(a))
- The bill does not specify the exact minimum sentence lengths
- The scope of 'child sexual abuse and exploitation material' is defined in existing Criminal Code provisions, not in this bill
Includes mandatory minimum sentences for possession and accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material
Allows specific criminal provisions to override section 12 protections for certain offences
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.
The Senate completed the first reading of Bill S-240, scheduling its second reading for two days later, while unrelated topics were discussed during the session.
On November 5, 2025, the Senate completed the first reading of Bill S-240, which proposes amendments to the Criminal Code to establish mandatory minimum sentences for child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences. The bill was introduced by Senator Leo Housakos and placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days later. During the debate, senators discussed unrelated topics such as budgetary matters, accounting standards, and initiatives related to sexual exploitation survivors, but no direct debate on the bill's legal provisions occurred. The first reading is a procedural step where the Senate formally acknowledges the bill, and the second reading will involve detailed discussion of its content.
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 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