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The Law

Sexual assault is a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada and is treated like any form of assault. It is defined by the Department of Justice as ‘forcing someone to engage in sexual intercourse or any other sexual act’ (Department of Justice Canada, 2005b).

Under Canadian law, a person can be convicted of sexual assault if he/she:

• coerces a person into unwanted sexual activity using threats
• uses his authority to coerce a person into sexual activity by threatening her employment or academic standing
• gets a person drunk or stoned to the point where they can't make a decision, in order to obtain sexual activity
• engages in sexual activity with a person who is unable to legally to consent because of a disability or being under the legal age of consent.