Legal Documents and Commentary

Laws and proposed amendments

•  Section 163.1
of the Criminal Code of Canada defines child pornography and the penalties associated with it.

Judicial decisions, followed by comments on specific decisions,
in chronological order

•  Decision of the Supreme Court of British Columbia   (1999)
Text of the decision concerning the Voir Dire in R. v. Sharpe, concerning the constitutionality of the law concerning material deemed by the Crown to be child pornography.

•  Ruling of The British Columbia Court of Appeal    (1999)
The ruling that set the stage for proceeding to the Ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada.

•  Ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada   (2001)
A Supreme Court of Canada decision that anulled part of the child pornography law, interpreted the charges against Mr. Sharpe and sent certain charges back for retrial.

•  Decision of the Supreme Court of British Columbia    (2002)
on the retrial of items passed back by the Supreme Court of Canada.