Svend Robinson

[Black Dog]

Picking up the discussion from here

where the aptly-monikered Alliance Fanatic hurled this accusation:

Well your friend Svend did want to lower the age of consent for boys to 14, which would give members of NAMBLA, and other predators, a legal right to have sexual intercourse with 14 year olds. Which I find completely disgusting, as for the comment of me being a troll, well I want to protect children from predators which is very extremist of me. I also find it sick that people think that pedophilia is alright, so I'm sure that you find pedophilia alright from your comments.

Of course, his own sources prove him wrong:

Lowering the age of consent for homosexuals to 14 years of age fulfils the dreams of homosexual NDP MP, Svend Robinson (Burnaby--Douglas), who has laboured long and hard for just this amendment, which would have the practical effect of allowing a 40-year-old man, for example, to have legal access to a 14-year-old youth for sexual purposes.

(emphasis mine)

So the fact is that it's okay under the law for a 40 year old to have sex with a 14 year old of the opposite sex. But the law made an exception for homosexual affairs; this exception was shown to be discriminatory.

Whether you agree with the age of consent as it stands or not is irrelevant: there's no need to have two different sets of rules for straights and gays.

[Pellaken]

So the fact is that it's okay under the law for a 40 year old to have sex with a 14 year old of the opposite sex.

that is, indeed, true. I went to see a lawyer specifically about this

as a politician I dont want to do anything that's going to come back and bite me in the arse.