Consent, clearly explained
Ask First.Every Time.Only YesMeans Yes.
What consent is, what Canadian law says, and where to turn if something happened. In plain language, in English and French, for everyone.
“Consent means … the voluntary agreement of the complainant to engage in the sexual activity in question.”
In plain words: a real, freely given yes, to this activity, with this person, right now.
Consent has six parts
Consent isn't a box you tick once. All six of these have to be true, the whole time.
Freely given
Agreed to without pressure, threats, guilt or someone using their power over you.
Clear
Shown in words or actions that mean yes. Silence, stillness or not saying no isn't a yes.
Specific
A yes to one thing, with one person, isn't a yes to anything else.
Ongoing
It has to be there the whole time, and either person can stop at any point.
Conscious and capable
Someone who is asleep, unconscious, or too drunk or high to understand can't consent.
Of legal age
The law sets an age of consent, with stricter rules when the older person holds a position of trust or authority, when the younger person depends on them, or when the relationship is exploitative.
Where would you like to start?
Pick the one that fits. Every page is short, and none of them asks for your name.
Three myths, three facts
Myths about sexual violence are common, and they make it harder for survivors to be believed.
MythIf they didn't say no, it was consent.
Silence, passivity and not resisting are not consent. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that there is no such thing as implied consent.
MythMost sexual assaults are committed by strangers.
About 3 in 4 people sexually assaulted in the past year by someone other than a partner said the most serious assault was committed by someone they knew.
MythBeing married or in a relationship means consent is a given.
Consent is needed every time, with everyone. Since 1983, Canadian law has allowed a person to be charged with sexually assaulting their spouse.
The numbers in Canada
From Statistics Canada's latest national survey on safety, released in March 2026.
- 37%of women in Canada have been sexually assaulted since age 15. So have 11% of men.Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, 2025
- 3 in 4people sexually assaulted in the past year by someone other than a partner knew the person who committed the most serious assault.Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, 2025
- Under 10%of sexual assaults by someone other than a partner are reported to police.8.6% of victims' most serious incidents in the 2025 survey; 6% of incidents in the 2019 General Social Survey
Sources
- Criminal Code, section 273.1: Meaning of consent. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- Criminal Code, section 150.1: Age of consent and close-in-age exceptions. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- Criminal Code, section 153: Sexual exploitation of a young person. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- Criminal Code, section 278: Spouse may be charged. Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada.
- R. v. Ewanchuk, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 330. Supreme Court of Canada, February 25, 1999.
- Gender differences in experiences of violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2025 (Juristat). Statistics Canada, Adam Cotter and Marta Burczycka, March 31, 2026.
- Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019 (Juristat). Statistics Canada, Adam Cotter, August 25, 2021.
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