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BTC: Pierre Poilievre, ready for his close-up

I’ve no idea why the press gallery decided to distribute this transcript. But I’ll happily reprint it here.

Reporter: (Inaudible)

Poilievre: Apparently the local CTV wants me to do something from here.

Reporter: I’ve got the question. 

Poilievre: Okay, great. Do you want me to look at you or at the camera?

Reporter: At the camera.

Poilievre: Okay. It feels so weird.

Reporter: A police organization has called for Canada (inaudible) Thailand.  How does the age of sexual consent going to do that?

Poilievre: Well, according to some officials with the RCMP sex crimes unit, the children in the age range of 14 and 15 are the most likely to be targeted by online sexual predators.  This law will now raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 and bring in protections for those kids in that age range.  Yesterday it would not have been illegal for a predator to target a 14 or 15-year-old online.  Today it is illegal and can be prosecuted by the police. 

Reporter: (Inaudible).  What kind of impact will this legislation have on teen sex?

Poilievre: It has no impact whatsoever on teenage consensual sex, between teenagers of the same age.  There is an exemption for teens who are within five years of the same age of one another.  In other words, if there were a relationship between say and 18-year-old and a 14-year-old that would not be covered by this law.  Some believe it should be but it is not in this particular legislation.

Reporter: Anything you want to add?

Poilievre: I’ll just answer that one question again because I didn’t say it very well.  You guys can choose whatever you want but — Yesterday it would have been perfectly legal for an adult sexual predator to target a 14 or 15-year-old online or in person.  Because of the change in the law that took effect today, it is now illegal for that sexual predator to go after a 14 or 15-year-old teenager.  And so this change is very important in protecting the teenagers who are statistically the most likely to be targeted online by sexual deviants.  All right.  Thanks very much.  Yeah, I thought it was a bit choppy the first time so I gave you another option anyway.  All right.

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