People who share intimate images of their partner without consent could very soon face particularly severe sanctions, thanks to a new bill presented in Quebec. This decision comes at a time when the number of criminal acts of this nature is exploding in the country, as are cases of sextortion which have multiplied in recent years.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled Bill 73 to “counter the sharing of intimate images without consent and improve the protection and support in civil matters of victims of violence.”
This measure was announced the day before through a promotional video published on the minister’s X account (formerly Twitter), in which we see a text message where it is written: “A little glimpse of my evening yesterday ???? ”, followed by a blurry image where a person appears to have their upper body exposed.
Mr. Jolin-Barrette also indicates that one in five adolescents have already received an intimate image from a person who did not consent.
What you owe know : This bill provides for hefty fines for any person or company that does not comply with an order to remove an intimate image. If the minimum penalty provided for is $500, some could rise up to $50,000 per day, the ministry specifies in its bill.
In addition, offenders could face a prison sentence of up to 18 months.
Furthermore, this legislative measure will allow victims to obtain a court order requiring people who distribute, store or host an image on an Internet site to remove and destroy it immediately, via a court order. There will therefore no longer be a waiting period for this action.
In case you didn’t know: The number of cases of publication or distribution of non-consensual intimate images increased from 726 in 2019 to 1,168 in 2023. As for reports of sextortion in Canada, they have increased by almost 300% in less than ten years, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada.
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