Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recently met with some of my constituents and they brought to my attention a very disturbing issue; that being the issue of sexual exploitation in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, for several years, a number of concerned Canadians -- this group is called CASE, Canadians Addressing Sexual Exploitation -- has been requesting a change in the age of consent law. In 1987, Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government reduced the age of consent for sexual activity from 18 to 14, and the Liberal government has apparently made no attempt to change this law, or to restore it.
Another area of grave concern, Mr. Speaker, is the issue of child pornography and the exploitation of children. Mr. Speaker, upon doing research of this extremely important topic, I learned that there are 23,000 pedophile websites available on the Internet. I was shocked, Mr. Speaker, and it is disgusting.
Mr. Speaker, it is legal for an adult of any age to engage in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child. As a father of four children, this upsets me deeply. Mr. Speaker, the consumption of pornography can lead to destroyed marriages and the breakdown of the family unit, sexual violence, rape, teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, to name a few. The effects on society are many.
This is an issue, Mr. Speaker, of public health and safety. As a society, we can no longer afford to ignore the issue and hope that it will just go away.
This year's WRAP campaign, Mr. Speaker, which stands for White Ribbon Against Pornography, was held from October 20th to the 27th. Mr. Speaker, I was extremely proud at church this past Sunday in Hay River when a large white ribbon was signed by 75 members of our congregation in support of this year's white ribbon campaign.
Mr. Speaker, the Catholic Women's League of Hay River will be forwarding this white ribbon to the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew in order that she may present it to her colleagues in Ottawa. To this end, Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues to join me in speaking out against child pornography and sexual exploitation. I encourage all Members to contact...