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93 Can. B. Rev. 1 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/canbarev93 and id is 1 raw text is: Vol. 93 2015 No. 1 THE PAPER TIGRESS: CANADIAN OBSCENITY LAW 20 YEARS AFTER R VBUTLER Janine Benedet* The Supreme Court of Canada ' 1992 decision in R v Butler was viewed by its supporters and its critics as having important and far-reaching consequences. In fact, a survey of the available obscenity cases prosecuted after Butler demonstrates that the offence is rarely used to target sexist and sexually violent pornography, with only one reported conviction in the past fifteen years. There are a number of possible reasons for this outcome, including the normalization and pervasiveness ofsexual violence against women and an undue narrowing of the harms identified in Butler This article examines the limited use of the obscenity offence from 1992-2012 and calls for a renewed consideration of how to address the harms of pornography consistent with a commitment to sex equality. Tant les partisans que les opposants de la decision rendue par la Cour suprdme du Canada en 1992 dans l'arrit R c Butler etaient d'accord pour dire que ce jugement aurait des consequences importantes et une portee considerable. En realit, une etude des causes portant sur l'obscenit, qui ont ete instruites a la suite de l'affaire Butler demontre qu'on fait rarement appel ai l'infraction connexe pour cibler la pornographie caracterisee par le sexisme et la violence sexuelle. Defait, au cours des quinze dernieres annees, une seule declaration de culpabilit a ainsi ete rapporte. De nombreuses raisons expliquent ce * Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Peter A Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. This work was supported by funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia. I am grateful to the law students who contributed to the research for this article, including Brendan Ward, Tamlin Cooper, Rebecca Coad and Karen Segal. THE CANADIAN BAR REVIEW LA REVUE DU BARREAU CANADIEN

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