OTTAWA, Jan 22, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Supreme Court of Canada will announce its judgment in the case of child pornography dealer John Robin Sharpe at noon on Friday, January 26. The case reviews the BC Supreme Court decision, which struck down the provision in Canadian law against possession of child pornography, claiming that it violated freedoms enshrined in the Charter of Rights. The public demanded immediate action to reverse the decision, but the Liberal government in Ottawa voted down an opposition motion designed to approve the use of the notwithstanding clause to quash the decision and maintain the law against possession of child porn.
For two years the status of the law has been uncertain making it very difficult for police forces to successfully convict criminals with possession of such material.