At what age is it allowed to have sex in Canada

In this article, we'll talk about sex in Canada, laws and sex education: who can have sex, who can be prosecuted, and what children are told at school. Something may surprise or even shock you, but you need to know it if you are going to immigrate to Canada.

Age of majority and age of consent

In different provinces, it comes at different ages: somewhere at 18, somewhere at 19. But, of course, not all teenagers wait until their 18th birthday, and we cannot judge if it is bad or not. That’s why the age of sexual consent is lower: 16.

But what if two teenagers are involved? For example, 14 and 15 years old or 14 and 17. There are nuances in the law for these cases, and when the partners are close in age, there are exceptions. For example, from the age of 12, a teenager can agree to have sex with a partner who is no more than two years older, which means they can be 13 or 14 years old, and from the point of view of the law, this is OK.

And from the age of 14, a teenager can agree to have sex with someone who is no more than 5 years older. So, yes, a 19-year-old boy will not be punished for having sex with a 14-year-old girl. There is, of course, a lot to argue about morality and ethics here, but for the law only mutual consent is important.

There are other exceptions. Teachers, tutors, coaches, and similar employees who work with children, on the contrary, cannot have sexual relations with their students, even if they have already 16.

And, of course, a person can be punished for having sex with a minor if it was exploitation. There are some signs there, such as if the partners have a big age difference, the teenager was pressured, the relationship developed too quickly or even virtually, and so on. And any relationship without another person’s consent is considered a crime, regardless of age.

By the way, an interesting fact: until 2008, the general age of sexual consent in Canada was 14 years old. At 14, a teenager could consent to have sex with a person of any age.

Sex education

These laws may seem strange to some people. But in Canada, schools have sex education classes. The program may differ from province to province, let's take as an example Ontario, where the capital city Ottawa and the largest city of Canada Toronto are located, because this province is the most popular among immigrants, and locals as well.

Education starts as early as the first grade. In Ontario, children start school at the age of 6, and of course, no one tells them about sex at that age, don't be afraid, children are just taught about the human body, and how its parts are called, including, by the way, the genitals, how to care for the body, to respect it and to ask for help in case of illness or injury.

Second-grade children learn that their bodies will change, and from third grade, they start talking about healthy relationships and personal boundaries. Children are told the relationships they need to build with others, that people are different, that they need to respect others, and so on.

In the fourth and fifth grades, they are told about puberty. And in the sixth grade, which is about 11 years old, the topic of sex starts, and teenagers are told about sexual relationships, the importance of expressing consent or dissent, and also about homophobia, racism, and other discrimination.

In the seventh grade, they are told about the importance of not having sex too early, the many factors to consider before making that decision, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, how to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and so on. From the eighth grade, these topics are supplemented by gender identity, sexual orientation, and how to understand and accept oneself.

Parents' opinion

Most Canadian parents support such school program. Last year, there was a survey, and 80-90% of parents approved of sex education lessons. The percentages vary slightly from province to province, and in some regions, they even express the opinion that they should start even earlier, most likely this means earlier sex education.

But while Canadians approve of this, many immigrants find it very difficult to accept the fact that their child will be taught about sex at school. Everyone seems to understand that children will learn about everything anyway, and probably earlier than at the age of 12-13, but still, this topic in many countries remains a kind of taboo. And some immigrants are so against sex education in schools that they refuse these lessons.