Making 'Rape' A Charge Again In Canada
The Issue
Hello, my name is Kenzie and I'm 16 years old in grade 12 of high school. I want to make a certain change for our country. Many people in Canada don't know that in 1983 the specific offence of rape was officially abolished and replaced by 'gender neutral sexual assault laws'. Because the act of forced penetration no longer automatically seen as a standalone maximum severity crime, any forced intercourse that did not cause severe physical wounding or involve a weapon was legally classified as a Level 1 sexual assault. This effectively lumped non-consensual touching and forced intercourse into the same baseline tier. This drastically lowered the baseline maximum penalties for what used to be called rape, which critics argue treats non physical, coercive, or drug facilitated penetration as less severe. If I was one of these victims subjected to rape and I saw that my offender get less of a sentence I would be devastated. I would feel injustice and I'd have to live my whole life with the trauma and the constant thought about how my offender basically "got away" with it. I found that unfair and I feel the charge of rape should still be It's own individual charge. By signing this petition you will help me and many other Canadian's fight against the removal of the rape charge. Thank you for participating in helping me change the country one step at a time.
I just wanted to add that I do not want anyone to donate any money to this petition because 1. I don't know what to do with the money and 2. not only was this petition made to try and change a charge but it was also made for raising awareness. Again I'd like to thank you for signing this petition or even just looking at what I had to say.
Some research to do on your own/for proof:
https://www.amssasc.ca/blog/uncertain-progress-canadian-sexual-assault-laws/
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/statistical-programs/document/3302_D6_V17
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sexual-assault
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The Issue
Hello, my name is Kenzie and I'm 16 years old in grade 12 of high school. I want to make a certain change for our country. Many people in Canada don't know that in 1983 the specific offence of rape was officially abolished and replaced by 'gender neutral sexual assault laws'. Because the act of forced penetration no longer automatically seen as a standalone maximum severity crime, any forced intercourse that did not cause severe physical wounding or involve a weapon was legally classified as a Level 1 sexual assault. This effectively lumped non-consensual touching and forced intercourse into the same baseline tier. This drastically lowered the baseline maximum penalties for what used to be called rape, which critics argue treats non physical, coercive, or drug facilitated penetration as less severe. If I was one of these victims subjected to rape and I saw that my offender get less of a sentence I would be devastated. I would feel injustice and I'd have to live my whole life with the trauma and the constant thought about how my offender basically "got away" with it. I found that unfair and I feel the charge of rape should still be It's own individual charge. By signing this petition you will help me and many other Canadian's fight against the removal of the rape charge. Thank you for participating in helping me change the country one step at a time.
I just wanted to add that I do not want anyone to donate any money to this petition because 1. I don't know what to do with the money and 2. not only was this petition made to try and change a charge but it was also made for raising awareness. Again I'd like to thank you for signing this petition or even just looking at what I had to say.
Some research to do on your own/for proof:
https://www.amssasc.ca/blog/uncertain-progress-canadian-sexual-assault-laws/
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/statistical-programs/document/3302_D6_V17
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sexual-assault
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on October 1, 2026