OTTAWA, Mar 8 (Lifesitenews.com)—The federal Liberal government has refused a request by the province of Ontario to reform Canadian legislation regarding public nudity.
In November of 1996, the Ontario government lost a court battle against topless crusader Gwen Jacobs who was charged with indecent exposure after she took a topless stroll in downtown Guelph in 1991. The provincial Tories refered the case to the federal government because the legislation governing the matter is part of the Criminal Code which is federal jurisdiction.
Justice Minister Anne McLellan justified the Liberal’s refusal to amend the Criminal Code by appealing to the results of a report drawn up by bureaucrats saying that toplessness should not be dealt with in the Criminal Code.
Currently Canadian law only forbids public nudity when it is in the context of “commercial, sexual, or degrading purposes.” McLellan suggested local communities develop by-laws regarding the issue.
Source: The National Post