Background on the Promise

During the 2025 federal election campaign, Liberal Leader Mark Carney pledged to crack down on crime, with a specific commitment to protect children. This included a promise to tighten laws against child-luring, explicitly by raising the maximum sentence for such offenses. The promise was part of a broader public safety platform announced in April 2025, aimed at addressing gang activity, border security, and child protection amid concerns over illegal drugs and guns entering Canada.

Actions Taken by the Carney Government

Mark Carney assumed office as Prime Minister following the Liberal Party's minority government win on April 28, 2025. As of August 29, 2025, approximately four months into his term, there have been no public announcements, legislative proposals, or bills introduced in Parliament specifically targeting child-luring laws. The government's initial priorities, as outlined in Carney's first post-election press conference, focused on immigration reforms, home-building, tax cuts, and economic diversification, but did not mention advancements on child protection legislation.

While the government has engaged in broader crime-related discussions, such as strengthening border measures and public safety initiatives, no concrete steps have been reported toward amending the Criminal Code provisions on child-luring (Section 172.1). This section currently sets a maximum sentence of 14 years for indictable offenses, and no efforts to increase this have been documented.

Legislation Proposed or Passed

To date, no legislation has been proposed or passed by the Carney government to tighten child-luring laws or raise the maximum sentence. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2023 that mandatory minimum sentences for child-luring were unconstitutional, which could influence future reforms, but the current administration has not acted on this or introduced related bills. Parliamentary records and government statements show no bills tabled in the House of Commons or Senate addressing this promise. Without a majority government, any such legislation would require support from opposition parties, but no discussions or drafts have emerged.

Analysis of Promise Components

The promise has two key elements: tightening laws to crack down on child-luring and raising the maximum sentence. Neither component has seen progress. Tightening laws could involve broader measures like enhanced online monitoring or stricter bail conditions, but no such initiatives have been launched. Raising the maximum sentence would require amendments to the Criminal Code, which has not been pursued. Given the short time in office, this lack of action suggests the promise remains unaddressed amid competing priorities like economic challenges and foreign policy issues.

Overall Status

This promise is not started.