Supreme Court striking down 1-year mandatory sentence for child porn possession prompts calls for Liberals to overrule

OTTAWA — Canada’s top court narrowly ruled Friday to strike down the one-year mandatory minimum sentence requirement for the possession and access of child pornography, after examining the punishment’s impact on a hypothetical 18-year-old involved in sexting.

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The case, which was heard by a nine-judge panel, involved a challenge to the sentencing rules brought forward by two men in Quebec who pleaded guilty to having hundreds of images of children as young as three being severely abused. ---More...

This decision is outrageous.

The possession of child pornography is a heinous crime, and even a one-year minimum sentence is already far too lenient.

We call on the Federal Government to immediately invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to overturn this ruling and…

— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith)October 31, 2025