Petition calls for public nudity to be removed from Criminal Code of Canada
Posted May 17, 2022 4:33 pm.
Last Updated May 18, 2022 1:41 pm.
A petition has opened calling for public nudity to be redefined in the Criminal Code of Canada, specifically to say that it is not indecent, obscene, nor a nuisance.
The creators of the petition are asking for section 174 to be repealed, which says the punishment for the crime of public nudity could be a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to two years in prison.
The petition had 417 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.
“Nudity is not intrinsically sexual, indecent, or obscene and the existing prohibition on public nudity harms society by reinforcing the notion that the human body is inherently shameful,” part of the petition reads.
The main administrator of nude beach CottonTail Corner, about 30 minutes southwest of Edmonton, says he agrees with the petition, and that the community has never been charged by police for being nude.
“The police officers just tend to tell these people that we’re not really doing anything wrong, and we’re not harming anyone there,” said John Martens. “So they’ve never told us to leave or to cover up.”
Martens says being naked frees members of the nude and naturist community from appearance-based judgments.
“No one knows who’s wearing something from Value Village, no one knows who’s wearing Gucci. Everyone is equal.”
Stigma needs to be broken: nudist group
The president of the Helios Nudist Association says he hopes the stigma surrounding nudism will be broken down by the petition.
“We live in a condo as I said, and our recycling and garbage area is maybe 30 feet from our door,” association president John Taylor said. “But sometimes I’m in our condo and I’m naked, and I go to take the garbage out and I gotta stop at the door and I gotta put something on.
“It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t walk that 60 feet to drop off a bag of garbage the way I was dressed in my condo.”
Elizabeth May a petition sponsor
Green Party MP Elizabeth May’s name appears on the bottom of the online petition, but she emailed CityNews saying she wants to make it clear that she has not signed the petition but agreed to sponsor it as an MP.
“I am not a supporter of the petitioners’ goal. I am not a supporter of public nudity. I do support the rights of citizens in a democracy to get direct answers from their government,” said May.
