In May 2008, the Canadian government passed a bill to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16, while creating a close-in-age exemption for sex between 14–15 year olds and partners less than 5 years older, and keeping an existing close-in-age clause for sex between 12–13 year olds and partners less than 2 years older.

Can a 14 year old consent in Canada?

The legal age of consent in Canada is 16 years old. Exceptions: Persons under 16 years can have consensual sex with someone close in age. These exceptions only apply if the older person is not in a position of authority or trust and there is no exploitation or dependency.

What country age of consent is 14?

In North America, Aruba has the lowest age of consent at 15 years old, while in South America, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador all have 14 as the age of consent.

Can a 14 year old consent?

Close in age exceptions A 14 or 15 year old can consent to sexual activity as long as the partner is less than five years older and there is no relationship of trust, authority or dependency or any other exploitation of the young person. There is also a close in age exception for 12 and 13 year olds.

Is it legal for a 14 year old to date a 16 year old Canada?

In Canada that age is 16 years old. This means that as long as someone is 16 years old and the sexual activity is consensual, there is no criminal liability. So, for example, a 14 year old can have sex with someone up to 18 years old (as long as the age gap is less than 5 years).

Can a 16 year old go to jail in Canada?

In Canada, young people can be held responsible for a crime as of age 12. So, police can arrest a teenager if they think that the teen committed a crime (for example, theft, assault, drug possession or trafficking).