S-210Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act
An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material
Senate public bill, introduced in the Senate on November 24, 2021
- Status
- At report stage in the House of Commons since June 7, 2024
- Sponsor
- Julie Miville-DechêneSenator
- Senator
What it does
Creates offences and court orders to stop organizations from making sexually explicit material available online to people under 18.
What it does
- Makes it an offence for an organization to commercially make sexually explicit material available on the Internet to a young person, with fines up to $250,000 for a first offence and $500,000 for later offences.
- Limits the age defence, an organization cannot rely on believing the person was 18 or older unless it used a prescribed age-verification method.
- Allows a defence for material with a legitimate purpose related to science, medicine, education or the arts.
- Lets a designated federal enforcement authority issue a notice if it has reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed, and gives the organization 20 days to take the required steps.
- Lets the enforcement authority ask the Federal Court for an order requiring Internet service providers to block access in Canada if the organization does not comply with the notice.
- Requires the Minister to table an annual report in Parliament on notices issued, court applications made, and the outcomes of those applications.
Who it affects
- Young persons
- Online organisations
- Internet service providers
- Federal enforcement authorities
- Federal ministers
Background
The bill says its purpose is to protect public health and public safety, including young persons' mental health, and to deter organizations that make sexually explicit material available online for commercial purposes.
Where it is
Senate
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Completed.
Third reading
Completed.
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Current stage. Now here
Third reading
Not reached.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by a senator. If the Senate passes it, it goes to the House of Commons, where an MP must agree to sponsor it. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
2nd reading of Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material
Vote 609,
Passed
189 yeato133 nay · 2 paired
Party breakdown for vote 609 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Nay15 broke ranks 15 132 11 Conservative Yea 115 0 2 Bloc Yea 32 0 0 NDP Yea 24 0 1 Green Yea 1 0 1 Independent Yea1 broke ranks 2 1 0 Total 189 133
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalAnju Dhillon· November 23, 2023
“The bill we are discussing today is closely linked to the government's ongoing work to ensure a safer online experience for all Canadians, particularly children and youth. It is also worth noting that we need to work together to ensure that Canadians' freedom of expression and right to privacy are protected.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeKaren Vecchio· November 23, 2023
“Bill S-210 is the protecting young persons from exposure to pornography act. This bill would restrict young persons' online access to sexually explicit material.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocAndréanne Larouche· November 23, 2023
“Before I begin, I would like to say that the Bloc Québécois supports this bill. We are in favour of it being studied at committee so that we can have a more in-depth discussion to ensure that we protect minors, which is a major public safety challenge.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPLisa Marie Barron· November 23, 2023
“I am happy to rise today to speak to Bill S-210, an act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material. As we know, the bill is intended to protect children from access to sexually explicit materials.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: At report stage in the House of Commons. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.