Age of consent reform in Canada

Age of consent law in Canada refers to cultural and legal discussions in Canada regarding the age of consent, which was raised in May 2008 as part of the Tackling Violent Crime Act.^[1] This applies to all forms of sexual activity.^[2]

In May 2008, the Canadian government led by Stephen Harper passed Bill C-22 (introduced in February 2007 and revised in August 2007)^[3] to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16, while creating a close-in-age exemption for sex between 14–15 year olds and partners less than 5 years older, and keeping an existing close-in-age clause for sex between 12–13 year olds and partners less than 2 years older.^[4] The initiative also maintains a temporary exception for already existing marriages of 14 and 15 year olds, but forbids new marriages like these in the future.^[5]

Section 159 of the Criminal Code set the age of consent for anal intercourse at 18 for non-married couples. In June 2019, Bill C-75 passed both houses of the Parliament of Canada and received royal assent, repealing section 159 and making the age of consent equal at 16 for all types of intercourse.^[6] Prior to its repeal, section 159 had been held unconstitutional by several courts, including 4 appellate courts, and was deemed unenforceable.^[7]