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Friday, July 18, 2025

Outrage over Trudeau’s appointment of judges who donated to Liberals

By
Quinn Patrick
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The Trudeau government is coming under fire from opposition parties for their judicial and tribunal appointment process with critics saying that the Liberals continue to reward party donors.

Federal opposition parties feel the Trudeau government is engaging in a selection process that undermines Canadians’ trust in the legal system.

According to the National Post and the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF), 76% of the federal judicial and tribunal judges that have been appointed under the Trudeau government had previously made donations to the Liberal Party of Canada. 

That makes up a strong majority in comparison to the 22.9% of appointees who donated to the Conservative party and the 17% who donated to the NDP.

Since the Liberal party took power in 2015, not one single appointee has donated to the Bloc Québécois party, according to data from Elections Canada.

“Clearly, there aren’t many believers in Quebec’s independence who believe they have a chance of being appointed by the federal governments, and their concern is obviously real,” said Bloc Québécois MP Rhéal Fortin. “It appears that federalist ministers of justice will certainly not appoint someone who thinks differently than them on important issues like the Constitution,” he added.

During the previous Conservative government, the Liberals were outspoken in their criticisms of the Conservative government’s judicial appointment process and promised reforms in 2016 after they were elected. 

“The public’s confidence in our judicial system is the backbone of our society. We want a judicial system that is neutral, effective and independent. Moving ahead with political appointments considerably undermines the public’s confidence and is akin to playing with fire,” said Fortin.

Fortin, who previously worked as a lawyer, believes this type of partisanship within the selection process hurts public confidence and puts a political spin on how decisions will ultimately be made in Canadian courtrooms. 

The Trudeau government says that their appointment process is based solely on merit and is not politically motivated. 

“The judicial appointment process is focused on merit, on the needs of courts, and on building a bench that reflects the country it serves. Importantly, an applicant’s political donation record is not a factor in the decision to recommend them for a judicial appointment,” said David Taylor, a spokesperson for Arif Virani, the newly appointed Justice Minister.

Fortin isn’t convinced however and he remains concerned by the recent findings by the National Post and IJF.

“By doing this, the government is influencing decisions to come from courts,” said Fortin. “The government is exerting an influence on tribunals by appointing people who are aligned with it and share an opinion with it on important issues.”

“It’s an uncouth way to influence the law for years to come,” continued Fortin. “Two things, rewarding people and influencing rulings, will result in undermining the public’s confidence in our judicial system.”

Conservative MP Rob Moore has also expressed his frustrations with how long it has taken for the Liberal government to make said appointments. There are currently around 80 vacant seats that the federal government has yet to fill. 

“Appointing judges is the prime minister’s responsibility, but instead of filling the high number of vacancies to keep criminals off our streets, Trudeau is holding out to appoint his Liberal insider friends,” said Moore.

“Because Trudeau has failed to appoint judges, dangerous, violent criminals have walked away free because no judges were available to hear their cases,” Moore continued. 

Moore said that if it were the Conservative party in power, they would create a legal system where “victims, not criminals, come first.”

Fortin also made mention of the fact that in the past, the Liberal party has used a partisan database, known as Liberalist and other various MP party networks as part of their vetting process in appointing candidates for these positions. The Liberal party has since said they are no longer using partisan databases as an aid in the selection process. 

City of London ‘Director of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression’ must have ‘lived experience’ as a racialized person

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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London, Ontario is looking to hire a new Director of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression, but says those interested in applying need to have “lived experience” as a racialized person.

The City of London’s job postingis just the latest public sector “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) job to have a race-based hiring criteria.

The City says it is looking for “a transformational leader” who would be responsible for “guiding and implementing an overarching vision, identity, and strategy to position the City of London as a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization and community.”

The director will be responsible for London’s “Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Division,” which was created following the summer of Black Lives Matter protests and riots caused by the killing of George Floyd in the United States.

This “anti-racist” division focuses on “addressing racism and oppression, directed towards Black people, Indigenous people, Asian people, and all people of colour” as well as ableism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia in the City of London’s public service and broader community.

The City of London notes that “lived experience as a Black, Indigenous or other racialized person who can acknowledge and speak to the impact of systemic racism and oppression is a requirement.”

While the salary for this position is not disclosed, other DEI public sector jobs have shown to pay generous six-figure salaries.

DEI ideology, which often encompasses affirmative action, critical race theory and gender ideology, has recently been under scrutiny.

In Ontario, a lawsuit alleges that late TDSB Richard Bilkszto committed suicide after he was bullied by a DEI consultant. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court recently found that affirmative action practices employed by colleges and universities were unconstitutional.

The City of London told True North it would not be able to submit a comment in time for publication. The story will be updated if a comment is received at a later time.

Ratio’d | This is RUINING Canada and nobody is trying to solve it

By
Harrison Faulkner
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Another public opinion poll shows that Canadians have had enough of mass immigration. A Nanos poll from last week shows that a majority in Canada are concerned that the current immigration targets set by the federal government will impact the housing shortage. Go figure! Last year, a Leger poll found the same results.

Despite this, Canada’s new immigration minister told journalists last week that Canada would continue to bring in record numbers of immigrants and even perhaps increase annual government targets. Food banks are filling up with immigrants, housing shelters are filling up with asylum seekers and Canadians can no longer afford to live in the cities they grew up in. Even worse, provinces are now asking Canadians to explore home sharing options to solve the shortage.

If you’re looking for an opposition to these sky-high immigration targets, don’t go to the Conservatives. Pierre Poilievre continues to dodge questions about his immigration plan and whether he would stick to Trudeau’s 500,000-per-year number.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner

Texts poke holes in convicted sex offender’s claims about role at wife’s autistic childcare centre

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Text messages obtained by True North seem to contradict convicted sex offender Lauriston Maloney’s claims to the media that he did not interact with the children at his wife’s childcare centre for autistic kids. 

In July, Maloney told CTV News that he had played no role at his wife’s facility, Beating the Odds, in the Ontario Township of Essa. 

Laureli Barrett, who is a parent that sent her child to Beating the Odds, has shared a text message conversation with a number that belongs to Maloney’s contracting business, High Class Renovations & Construction, in which the person on the other end of the line offers to drive the child home. 

“Charles is having fun here lol. We can bring him to the neighbors now if you want?” the message reads. 

After Laureli responds, another message states: “Ok no problem. He is on his way.” 

Maloney said to reporters that he didn’t “have anything to do” with the children at the centre. 

“No, I don’t have anything to do with the children. I have no interaction with them. My wife has, for every child, there’s a supervisor who watches that child individually. It’s one-to-one therapy, so no, I have no involvement with the children,” said Maloney. 

Additionally, Amber Maloney, who runs the facility said she operated the business “solely without him.” 

“Yes, we share the same property address, but he does not work with these kids. He has his own job that brings him off-site and allows me to operate solely without him,” said Maloney. 

Lauriston Maloney currently faces charges of human trafficking, administering a noxious substance, fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document. He is currently awaiting a decision on bail. The alleged crimes do not involve any children at Beating the Odds. 

This isn’t the first time Barrett has contradicted Maloney’s claims. In July, shortly after the Ontario Provincial Police released a rare warning indicating that a convicted sex offender involved in crimes against children lived at the child care centre, Barrett protested outside of Maloney’s home. 

“(My son has) been here for a year and a half between therapy services, behavioral services and the camp,” alleged Barrett. 

“I have text messages from that man from June 25th. He was with my son, wanting to drop my son off at home. His father picked him up and his father saw him in the kitchen. I see him there three days a week, at least with the kids, he’s a liar.”

Amber Maloney was released on bail this week for human trafficking and other charges. 

According to Barrett, she disagrees with the decision to release Maloney on bail. 

“As a Canadian I am outraged with the justice system and the roundabout bail for people with offences like sex crimes, crimes against women and children. The Liberal government has failed every single Canadian, with their safety, community but allowing lesser sentences. If liberal judges were removed and replaced with anyone else these people wouldn’t just get a slap on the wrist. I feel for the safety of all victims in this matter,” Barrett told True North. 

With files from Harrison Faulkner.

Good samaritans who prevented alleged sexual assault commended by Calgary police

By
Quinn Patrick
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Calgary police are showing their gratitude to several good samaritans who intervened in the alleged sexual assault of a woman near the northwest Louise Riley Library on Monday.

Staff Sgt. Adam Willliams confirmed that the alleged attacker was apprehended and detained by several citizens who heard the incident taking place. 

The group was walking along 14th Avenue around 12:10am when they began to hear a woman screaming from some bushes closeby. They intervened and managed to hold the alleged assailant until police arrived.

“We are thankful to those who stepped in and helped the victim during this very traumatic incident,” said Williams. “Those Good Samaritans were instrumental as they stopped the assault and held the suspect until police arrived, which resulted in a quick arrest by our officers.”

39-year-old Rodrigo Ortiz has been charged with one count of sexual assault.

This comes at a time when Canada is already facing a streak of violent crime, rising for the second year in a row. Statistics Canada reported a 5% increase since last year and in 2021, it went up by 6%.

Crime rates are currently the highest they’ve been since 2007 and the upward trend shows no evidence of slowing down.

Trudeau to fly to BC for family vacation a week after separation announcement

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

As Canadians struggle with the rising cost of living, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading on a vacation to British Columbia with his family. 

This comes after the prime minister’s announced separation from his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. 

Gregoire Trudeau will also be with the family on vacation. 

Last week a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) hinted at the scheduled family vacation.

“Sophie and the Prime Minister have signed a legal separation agreement. They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward,” the PMO wrote. 

“They remain a close family and Sophie and the Prime Minister are focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment. Both parents will be a constant presence in their children’s lives and Canadians can expect to often see the family together. The family will be together on vacation, beginning next week.”

According to the PMO, the trip was cleared with the ethics commissioner despite the role being vacant since the resignation of Martine Richard. 

True North reached out to the PMO for clarification on the statement. 

“Your questions lead to the notion of approval of a vacation and to clarify for you, the Commissioner does not approve regulatees’ vacations. The Office has a role only when the travel or stay could be considered a gift or other advantage under the Act or a gift or other benefit under the Code,” the Office of the Ethics Commissioner’s Director of Communications Melanie Rushworth told True North. 

“In cases where a trip or stay is a gift, the regulatee must declare it under the Act or the Code and the Office can rule on its acceptability. Under the Act, if a public office holder or a member of their family accepts gift or other advantage worth $200 or more, the public office holder must declare it within 30 days. Under the Code the timeframe is within 60 days to declare a gift or other benefit.”

Richard resigned around the time that Trudeau was facing scrutiny for a family vacation to a luxury villa in Jamaica, which was owned by a long-time family friend and donor. 

The pricey vacation cost taxpayers nearly $162,000 due to RCMP security details. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre blasted Trudeau for being a “freeloader” in the House of Commons in response to the trip. 

Ontario Christian & Jewish community push for school choice as faith in public system declines

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-
Source: Pixaby

Members of Ontario’s Christian and Jewish communities want the Ford government to implement school choice amid a number of families in the province losing faith in the province’s public education system.

Ontario is currently the only major Canadian province that does not offer school choice.

Dr. Aaron Rock, an evangelical Christian pastor from Windsor and Larry Zeifman, a Toronto accountant and member of the Orthodox Jewish community, both say they would like to see the implementation of a school voucher system allowing families to direct their tax dollars to the school of their choice.

Both Rock and Zeifman sent their kids to independent schools. Rock is also the Chancellor of Harvest Classical Academy, an independent Christian school he recently founded.

In an interview with True North, Rock explained that he and his wife chose to send their kids to an independent Christian school because “we wanted to make sure they’re being taught by people that shared our worldview, but also got a good education.”

He added that he and his wife initially only sent their kids to a Christian school for elementary, but opted to also send their fifth child to an Christian high school amid them having lost faith in the public Catholic system.

“I appreciated the fact that (in Catholic schools) there was some heightened commitment to acknowledging God and his laws in the classroom. But like our fifth child, we pulled her out of the Catholic school system after grade 10 because they bowed down to the exact same agenda.”

“The public education system is not a neutral space for people of various faiths to flourish. It’s a space that has been hijacked by a very specific group of ideologues who are absolutely committed to indoctrinating children to one particular worldview.”

Zeifman told True North that for his family, “it really wasn’t a question that we would put our kids into (Jewish) day school.” He noted that “the values in a religious school, in a Orthodox Jewish day school compared to the values in a public school are just night and day.”

Zeifman said that in addition to having values that are contrary to modern woke ideology, Orthodox Jewish families face differences in terms of lifestyle. 

“As an Orthodox Jew, our religious practice is a way of life. So, for example, the Shabbat Friday night, Saturday, we don’t drive, we don’t watch TV, we’re not on our phones, we’re not on computers. It’s a very different lifestyle, and if you’re in a public school, and you’re the only kid who’s keeping Shabbat, it becomes very, very difficult to maintain that religious lifestyle.”

For both Rock and Zeifman, providing their children with an independent school education did come at a cost, something that not all Ontario families are able to afford.

According to Cardus, the average independent school tuition in Ontario is $11,910 per year. Though some religious schools charge less than that and offer sliding scale tuition.

“If the government were to step up with a $12,000 or so voucher, it would make huge differences,” said Zeifman. For Rock, implementing a voucher system would also be “the honourable thing to do.”

The two men also pointed out that families who pay to send their kids to independent schools must also pay taxes to fund public schools. That money should instead be redirected to the school of their choice.

“The fact that we all pay our taxes the same as everybody else, and we don’t get the benefit of our taxes to educate our children, it’s like we’re paying our kids’ tuition twice,” said Zeifman. “We pay it once in the tax system to educate the kids in public school, and then we pay for our own kids’ tuition.”

Rock believes “the government shouldn’t be taking school tax dollars from families that conscientiously object to the public system.”

Since taking office in 2018, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has been reluctant to consider school choice policies, something Zeifman finds extremely disappointing.

“The Jewish community has tried to work and has worked with other faith communities to advance the cause of day school funding, unfortunately we just hit a brick wall,” he said. “We hit a brick wall with the liberals, as you wouldn’t be surprised because they were ideologically opposed to it. And then we haven’t gotten anywhere with Ford in five years,”

“I’m a conservative and I know that school choice is a conservative value.”

Rock believes school choice would improve Ontario’s public education system, as it would require it to compete with independent schools. “There’s always something healthy about some competition.”

In the past two years, Ontario’s public schools have been the subject of several woke controversies, leading multiple families to consider alternative education options.

Notable controversies have included a transgender teacher being allowed to wear massive prosthetic breasts, a high school student being suspended and arrested after saying there were only two genders, a teacher caught on tape publicly berating Muslim students who abstained from LGBTQ pride activities and the recent suicide of principal Richard Bilkzo, which came after he was allegedly bullied at a TDSB Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) session hosted by the KOJO Institute.

Premiers Smith and Moe slam “unrealistic” net-zero electricity regulations

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The Premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan took to social media to slam the Trudeau government for punishing their provinces with unrealistic net-zero electricity targets despite their major role in driving Canada’s economy. 

On Thursday, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault published his government’s Draft Clean Electricity Regulations, outlining the federal plan to eliminate fossil fuels and high-emission power sources from Canada’s electricity grid. 

The regulations will require provinces to meet a “stringent pollution emissions standard.” According to the federal government, the plan does not prescribe specific technologies like carbon capture to be used to reach the target and includes some flexibility for “an ongoing, though limited” role for fossil-fuels past the year 2035. 

On the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter,) Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was engaging in an unrealistic plan. 

“Trudeau’s net-zero electricity regulations are unaffordable, unrealistic and unconstitutional. They will drive electricity rates through the roof and leave Saskatchewan with an unreliable power supply. Our government will not let the federal government do that to the Saskatchewan people,” wrote Moe. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also chimed in on Thursday evening saying that the government’s threats were “completely unnecessary.” 

“I couldn’t agree more with Premier Scott Moe. Ottawa’s unrealistic net-zero targets and recent escalation is completely unnecessary. It’s time for the feds to face reality and work with us on pragmatic solutions,” tweeted Smith. 

The federal government has put out several aggressive signals to ensure compliance with the incoming regulations. 

Earlier this week, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson threatened to bar provinces that refuse to comply with the standard from billions in tax credits and funding for renewable energy. 

Minister Guilbeault also threatened potential criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply. 

Pierre Poilievre’s family-focused ad campaign draws widespread praise

By
Noah Jarvis
-

A multi-million dollar Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) advertisement campaign aimed at humanizing leader Pierre Poilievre has drawn widespread support from prominent conservatives across Canada.

Beginning the launch of a three-month $3 million CPC ad campaign, according to a source who spoke to Global News, Pierre and his wife Anaida Poilievre uploaded two ads to their respective X pages (formerly Twitter) showcasing the Conservative leader’s life as a family man and his primary policy priorities. 

The Conservatives will launch a series of ads that will be broadcast on television and will appear in digital and print newspaper ad spots.

The videos received praise from prominent figures in the conservative movement, like Aaron Gunn, who called the video “powerful.”

“Powerful video from a powerful storyteller,” said Gunn.

“Not sure Liberals have an answer for this kind of messaging. Hopefully we get to see/hear more from Anaida as the campaign draws nearer.”

Summa Strategies’ vice-chair Kate Harrison said it was impressive the CPC had the funds to pull off such an ad campaign and it was a smart idea to begin advertising early.

“Smart for @CPC_HQ to advertise and define early, and equally impressive the Party has the funds to make this a reality many months away from an election.”

Tracy Wilson of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights chimed in with approval, praising the videos’ messaging.

Former interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, who resigned as MP in February, praised the ads for portraying a raw version of who Poilievre is and who she got to know during her time in Ottawa.

“I love this ad and the fact that what we are seeing is the real, genuine and authentic Ana & Pierre,” said Bergen.

“They are not putting this on just for the camera. This is who they are and this is who we need to lead our country.”

Of the first two ads, Ana uploaded a video with the caption “Why my husband is doing this,” where she seeks to answer the question “who is Pierre Poilievre?”

Ana highlights some people who have been a major part of Pierre’s life and how these people view him.

“His school teacher parents know him as the boy they adopted and raised in their modest home in the suburbs of Calgary,” reads Ms. Poilievre’s script. 

“His children know him in français, español, and English as Papa. And I know him as a guy who loves me for who I am. A Canadian who came to call Canada home. And his wife.”

Later in the day, Pierre uploaded a video of him assembling a puzzle with his infant son and talking about the problems Canada is facing like affordability, rising crime, and societal division.

“Everything feels broken in Canada – unaffordable, unsafe, divided,” says Poilievre. 

“But we can put the pieces back together. With a government that lives within its means, leaves more in your pockets, and lets you get ahead. That protects our streets and unites our people in the Canada we know and love.”

The insider who spoke to Global News said that this $3 million ad campaign doesn’t seek to rebrand Poilievre, but instead seeks to amplify Poilievre’s personality and character. 

“This is not a branding campaign, it is an amplification of who Pierre is and always has been,” said the source. 

In recent months, polls have shown the Conservatives siphoning off support from the Liberals, often pegging the Tories at or near a double-digit lead. 

A recent poll from Abacus Data found that 37% of voters would cast their ballots for the Conservatives, while only 28% would vote for the Liberals, 19% would vote NDP, and 8% would vote for the Bloc Québécois. 

Nanos had also put out a poll with similar findings, pegging the Conservatives at 37% support, the Liberals at 27%, the NDP with 20%, and the Bloc with 7%.

Child sexual exploitation growing exponentially, police struggling to keep up

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The sexual exploitation of children online is getting so rampant across Canada that police are not able to keep up with the number of cases due to a lack of resources to properly investigate the vast amount of cases. 

Sgt. Christian Lowe of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) told the Vancouver Sun that his internet child exploitation unit receives more complaints regarding online images of children being sexually abused than complaints about sexual assault. 

The fact that much of this is done online makes it more difficult for authorities to track down the perpetrators. 

“When it comes to child pornography, these kids don’t even know they’re being victimized. It’s just part of their life,” said Lowe. “These children are not only being sexually assaulted but they are being recorded and put on the internet for the rest of their lives.”

B.C. accounts for the bulk of incidents reported about making or distributing these images. Over half of the 7,141 reports across Canada in 2021 were made in B.C., according to Stats Can. 

RCMP in the province dealt with 9,600 cases in 2022 alone.

Between 2014 and 2020, Stats Can recorded 7,743 children to be confirmed victims of online sexual violations. 

Noel Sinclair, a Crown prosecutor in the Yukon, said that accessing these images is easy and that a predator only needs basic social media apps.

“It is one of the most disturbing aspects of my job as a criminal prosecutor, work in homicide and high-risk offenders, violent offenders, sexual assault, all of those things … and it’s not unusual for collections to include images and video recordings at those extreme levels of depravity,” said Sinclair.

While child sexual exploitation incidents are growing, many of them will not proceed to court, according to Janine Benedet, a law professor at U.B.C. Of the 4,201 cases reported in 2020, only 63 resulted in a charge. 

“So, nothing,” said Benedet. “People think it is just possessing pictures, not actual child sexual abuse, but this is actual child sexual abuse,” she said.

Crown prosecutors are also faced with the problem of identifying who is behind the screen.

Cpl. Sharen Leung works in the B.C. RCMP internet child exploitation unit and she cites a lack of funding and resources as part of the difficulty in keeping up with the technology that is being applied by predators. 

IP addresses change, and often by the time an arrest warrant can be issued, the person can easily move on.

“There are so many files, but there’s only so many of us in the unit to tackle one or a couple of files at a time,” said Leung. “I wish there were more people to know what it’s like. I think the biggest frustration is that we don’t have the resources, and we want to do more.”

VDP Sgt. Lowe said his force is facing the same issue, “My authorized strength is five detectives and one sergeant, and I don’t have that many people right now.”

The spike in cases in the last 10 years is mainly to do with the internet. Bruce Daley, a defence lawyer in Toronto, who defends those charged with these offences said that the immense growth of the internet “did what the machine-gun, land tank, or nuclear weapons did to warfare. It just geometrically exploded the danger,” he said. “The public does not get how f — king dangerous it is. It’s mind-blowing to me, and I’ve been at this for 44 years.”

Girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are most likely to be victims of non-consensual distribution of images and most overrepresented in cases of luring. Luring is where an adult arranges an in-person sexual encounter with a child via social media or a website.  

A team of 50 agents, analysts and support staff in Alberta say that the number of cases in their province is growing exponentially as well. 

“The volume of referrals that are coming in is still exponential. We can’t get to it all,” said Michael Tucker, director of communications for Alberta’s internet child exploitation unit. “So, we have to employ a triage process, which is very tough.”

“When I started, we had a case of a guy in Toronto mailing out child pornography DVDs. You never hear of that anymore,” he said. “The internet entirely enabled it.”

The public remains largely uninformed of this problem and that is partially due to the disturbing nature of child pornography. Media outlets are hard pressed to cover cases that don’t result in convictions. 

“I don’t believe that the public has a very well-informed or clear idea about the very extreme nature of this pornography,” said Sinclair. “Some of these images and these recordings are unspeakably horrific. But, unfortunately, they’re not the kinds of things the media can report upon and show to the public because possessing them is illegal,” he said. “This is not, you know, we’re not talking about images of kids in sailor suits, posing. This stuff is unimaginably graphic, horrific and morally reprehensible.”

Another issue is that minimum sentencing guidelines are not strong enough, according to Conservative MP Frank Caputo, who spoke about one case where a woman was charged with sexually exploiting her own children only to receive house arrest following her guilty plea. 

“In Canada, there are important fundamental freedoms in terms of privacy, and those rights, I think, need to be jealously protected. It’s a conflict between privacy protection and protecting children,” said Caputo.

Benedet believes limiting access to social media for minors would help reduce the problem as it is most often the starting point in offences. “It requires getting serious in regulating these various kinds of online platforms and putting obligations on them to prevent the distribution and screening of this material,” she said. 

Even the most prominent social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat can host such images, it’s not only accessible on the dark web.

“Sometimes, we get ourselves very tied up in knots about privacy on the internet, about people’s right to sexually explicit material. And this is about none of that. This is about the sexual abuse of children and those who want to record and profit from it.” said Benedet.

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