Myths and facts

Consent is a voluntary agreement, shown by words or actions. Silence, passivity and not resisting are not consent. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that there's no such thing as implied consent.

Many people freeze when they're frightened or overwhelmed. It's a common, automatic response to threat, not a sign of agreement. The Criminal Code says there is no consent when someone submits or doesn't resist because of force, threats or fear of force, fraud, or someone's authority over them.

About 3 in 4 people sexually assaulted in the past year by someone other than a partner said the most serious assault was by someone they knew, according to Statistics Canada's 2025 survey. Counting partners and spouses would only raise that share.

Consent is needed every time, with everyone. Since 1983, Canadian law has allowed a person to be charged with sexually assaulting their spouse.

Clothing, flirting, dancing or accepting a drink isn't consent to anything. Consent is about what a person actually agrees to, not how they look or act.

The only person responsible for a sexual assault is the person who commits it. Alcohol can take away someone's ability to consent, and the law says an accused's own drunkenness is no defence for believing there was consent.

Consent can be withdrawn at any time, including partway through. The Criminal Code says there's no consent when someone who agreed then shows, by words or conduct, that they don't want to continue.

Most never report to police at all. In Statistics Canada surveys, fewer than 1 in 10 sexual assaults by someone other than a partner came to the attention of police. Many survivors wait months or years before telling anyone, and there's no time limit for reporting a sexual assault to police.

False reports are uncommon. A widely cited U.S. study estimated that between 2% and 10% of reports are false. Far more sexual assaults are never reported than are falsely reported.

They can, and they are. Statistics Canada's 2025 survey found that 11% of men in Canada have been sexually assaulted since age 15. Male survivors often face extra barriers to being believed and finding support.

Most sexual assaults leave no visible injury. Under the Criminal Code, any sexual touching without consent can be sexual assault, from unwanted grabbing or kissing to rape.

Physical arousal can happen without any desire or agreement. It's an automatic body response, not consent, and it doesn't make what happened okay.

Trauma, fear and alcohol all affect how memories are stored and recalled. Gaps, confusion, or details that come back later are common, and they don't mean someone is lying.