West Kootenay petition to protect minors from drug trafficking heard in Ottawa<\/p>\n
Published 9:09 am Monday, April 27, 2026<\/p>\n
A West Kootenay petition calling on the federal government to protect minors from drug trafficking, with new requirements for social media companies, has been presented in the House of Commons.<\/p>\n
The petition<\/a>, which Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies MP Rob Morrison introduced to the government on April 14, proposed several changes to Canada\u2019s justice laws including:<\/p>\n \u2022 A new legal framework to protect minors from drug dealers;<\/p>\n \u2022 Targeted monitoring of social media for online trafficking, as well as required prevention policies adopted by social media companies;<\/p>\n \u2022 A new federal law specific to exploitation of children;<\/p>\n \u2022 Resources for law enforcement to investigate all reports of drug trafficking and criminal exploitation involving minors, as well as witness protection when required.<\/p>\n The petition originates in Kaslo but received 710 signatures from across Canada, including 196 from Ontario, and more than the 500 required to be heard in the House of Commons. <\/p>\n (The Nelson Star has agreed not to publish the petitioner\u2019s name due to safety concerns for a child\u2019s welfare.)<\/p>\n Canada has laws that provide a range of protections for minors from offences such as unsafe homes, abandonment, sex assault or trafficking. But while drug trafficking is a crime, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act does not include any language specific to trafficking involving minors or social media.<\/p>\n Morrison told the Nelson Star that the petition points to a weakness in Canada\u2019s legal system.<\/p>\n \u201cOur youth are so vulnerable, and have been abused by the system in that the predators have been allowed to exploit them. It\u2019s interesting that our justice system hasn\u2019t caught on that there\u2019s something wrong here when our children are at such risk.\u201d<\/p>\n There is increasing interest in Canada for holding tech companies accountable. <\/p>\n After it was revealed the shooter consulted with OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT prior to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, Premier David Eby called for a policy requiring companies to advise police of suspicious activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n