Survey shows sexual consent awareness low among Canadians | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

Survey shows sexual consent awareness low among Canadians

Published

 on

 

Fifty-five per cent of Canadians do not understand the legal definition of sexual consent, suggests a recent survey conducted by Maru Public Opinion and commissioned by the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF).

According to Canada’s Criminal Code, consent is the voluntary and ongoing agreement to engage in sexual activity, which can be withdrawn at any time.

Out of a random selection of 1,511 Canadian adults who were surveyed on Oct. 18 and 19, less than half (45 per cent) of the respondents demonstrated an understanding of the consensual sexual activity that meets the legal threshold.

Those who successfully met this threshold were almost equally women and men under the age of 54. This age group also demonstrated a better understanding of sexual consent than their older counterparts above the age of 55, the survey found.

“Stories about sexual violence are covered in the news all the time,” Paulette Senior, president and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, said in a news release on Tuesday.

“While more people seem to be aware of what consent is, it’s alarming that so many still don’t understand. It’s a sign that Canada desperately needs to invest in consent education and effective abuse prevention measures relevant to all age groups.”

Although the percentage of Canadians who are aware of consent has increased since the survey was first conducted in 2015, it still represents less than half of the population.

Awareness also varied according to province, the survey found. Those who had an understanding of consent are more likely to reside in Alberta (49 per cent) and British Columbia (48 per cent), followed by those living in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario (47 per cent each), Atlantic Canada (42 per cent), and Québec (39 per cent).

Last year, the definition of consent under sexual assault law came under scrutiny when a B.C. man was charged with sexual assault after assuring a woman that he would wear a condom.

In July, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that sex with a condom is a different physical act than sex without one, and that the use of a condom can be a condition of consent under sexual assault law.

Canada’s top court said that that saying yes to sex with the condition that a condom is used is not the same as saying yes to sex without conditions. In other words, consent needs to be given again, if the use of a condom was not previously agreed upon.

According to Statistics Canada data published in 2019, 4.7 million women – or 30 per cent of all women aged 15 and older – have experienced sexual assault that did not involve an intimate partner.

The statistics suggest that some women and people of colour, particularly Indigenous women, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, women with disabilities, and younger women are more likely to experience sexual assault.

This current survey demonstrates that 42 per cent of Canadians know a woman who has been sexually assaulted.

With files from Kendra Mangione

Source link

Continue Reading

News

RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

Published

 on

 

EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

Published

 on

RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

Published

 on

 

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version