Canadian law states that the age of consent is the legal age when a person can make a decision to partake in sexual activity. By law, 16-18 year olds can consent to sexual activity, except if the:
- other person is in a position of authority (e.g., teacher, coach, or employer)
- sexual activity exploits them (e.g., pornography, prostitution, or trading sex for safety)
There are “close in age” exceptions to this law:
- 14 and 15 year olds can consent to sex if the partner is less than 5 years older
- 12 and 13 year olds can consent to sex if the partner is less than 2 years older
Children younger than 12 cannot consent to any type of sexual activity. Having sex with a child younger than 12 is against the law and is sexual abuse.