New Sex Offender Laws to Protect Children in Canada and Abroad

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER SPEAKS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING PLANS FOR TOUGHER LAWS FOR SEXUAL CRIMINALS IN TORONTO, AUGUST 29, 2013.

From Sun News
Credits: REUTERS/Mark Blinch

OTTAWA - The prime minister is promising the "most comprehensive law to combat sex crimes against children" ever enacted in Canada.

"It will require that high-risk sex offenders provide Canadian police with advanced notice of international travel," Stephen Harper said Monday in Vancouver. "The act will further authorize police and government agencies to inform Canadian border guards about these travel plans so that from now on such offenders will be carefully monitored by Canada."

Harper said the new law would also allow Canadian authorities to notify destination countries that an out-of-prison child molester is headed their way.

That could help protect potential victims of pedophiles looking to prey on vulnerable children abroad.
"Just as we must protect our children we should do what we can to protect innocent kids beyond our borders," Harper said.

Harper said the Conservatives will also create a national, publicly accessible database of "high-risk child sex offenders" to replace the patchwork of information available across the country.

The moves follow an August promise to keep child molesters behind bars longer.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair refused to comment on the proposals, but still mocked the government.
"So they discovered these things after eight years in power and I hope that they're going to hold a press conference to roundly scold themselves for not doing something about this great problem that they've discovered today," he said.

Canadian Police Association president Tom Stamatakis, who joined Harper at the announcement, said he "can't possibly over-emphasize the need for longer sentences to keep these serious offenders off our streets."