From the bill ^[1]^:
[…] It amends the Criminal Code to, among other things, […] (g) criminalize the distribution of visual representations of bestiality; […] ^[1.3]^
(3.1) Every person commits an offence who knowingly publishes, distributes, transmits, sells, makes available or advertises any visual representation that is or is likely to be mistaken for a photographic, film, video or other visual recording of a person committing bestiality. ^[1.1]^
(3.4) Every person who commits an offence under subsection (3.1)
(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years; or
(b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction. ^[1.2]^
For context, from the Criminal Code:
(7) In this section, bestiality means any contact, for a sexual purpose, with an animal. ^[3]^
The Department of Justice's rationale is that it is "online sextortion" ^[2]^, and that it is known to be used to manipulate children for sexual purposes ^[2]^.
References
- Type: Document. Title: "Protecting Victims Act". Publisher: "Parliament of Canada". Published: 2025-12-09. Accessed: 2025-12-09T22:48Z. URI: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/bill/C-16/first-reading.
- Type: Text. Location: §"Criminal Code">§"Amendments to the Act">§"Representation of bestiality"
- Type: Text. Location: §"Criminal Code">§"Amendments to the Act">§"Punishment — representation of bestiality"
- Type: Text. Location: §"Summary">§"(g)"
- Type: Article. Title: "Canada overhauls Criminal Code to protect victims and keep kids safe from predators". Publisher: "Department of Justice Canada". Published: 2025-12-09. Accessed: 2025-12-09T22:46Z. URI: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2025/12/canada-overhauls-criminal-code-to-protect-victims-and-keep-kids-safe-from-predators.html.
- Type: Text. Location: §"Keep our kids safe from predators">§"Crack down on online sextortion".
[…] This legislation proposes stronger measures to address online sexploitation and child luring, including by criminalizing threatening to distribute child sexual abuse and exploitation material and distributing bestiality depictions, which are known to be used to manipulate children for sexual purposes. […]
- Type: Text. Location: §"Keep our kids safe from predators">§"Crack down on online sextortion".
- Type: Document (PDF). Title: "Criminal Code". Publisher: "Government of Canada". Published: 2025-11-20. Accessed: 2025-12-09T22:44Z. URI: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/C-46.pdf.
- Type: Text. Location: §160>§7 ("Definition of bestiality")
I don't see how any reading of this would criminalize furry porn.
It says "likely to be mistaken for a photographic" media. This immediately rules out all forms of hand drawn and CG furry art from being covered by this law. It has to be a photo, video (or some AI generated facsimile).
The media has to involve - or realistically appear to involve (to the point that a reasonable person would be fooled) - sexual contact with an animal. Not "cartoon rabbit." Not "person in a fursuit." Animal.
Those two points alone rule out any kind of furry porn from being affected by this.
Couldn't there conceivably be some ambiguous grey area with this interpretation? How close to looking like an animal can an anthropomorphic animal get before it is captured?
The only ambiguity is that stated directly in the text; "is or is likely to be mistaken for".
And again, the thing it has to be likely to be mistaken for is a film or photograph of a person performing a sex act on an animal. Not "something like an animal." Not "something with animal features." Animal. One word. Period.
That means if you showed the image to an average person on the street they would be likely to believe it was an actual photo or video of someone doing actual sex acts to an actual flesh and blood animal. All of those conditions are clearly spelled out in the text of the law. It's really not vague at all.
The only reason they even put the "is likely to be mistaken" for part is because we're now at the point where AI can generate photographic images that aren't actually real photographs.
And if someone is out there painting photo realistic art so good that no one can tell its not real, and they're using that to recreate believable depictions of bestiality, well, yeah, the law is meant to criminalize that too. If it would fool the average person into thinking its a real animal, yes, that counts. But the average person isn't going to look at Judy Hopps and think "Oh my God, that's a real actual bunny rabbit", so I'm really not clear on what it is you're worried about here.
Are you interpreting "photographic" to mean "photorealistic"?
No, I'm interpreting "photographic" to mean "photographic." There's no interpretation needed, the word has a specific meaning that is entirely valid in this context. The question is, why are you trying to interpret "photographic" as meaning anything else?
yeah it wouldn't. Plus Beastiality is sex between a human and an animal. Furry porn is like Disney mascots yiffing each other. and it's all cartoonish.
I highly doubt someone at the RCMP is going to sit down and watch a dude dressed up like a purple doberman pounding town on a dude dressed up like a dragon and thinking "That dog is fucking a lizard!" then again maybe they do watch it, who am I to kink shame.
Besides, who actually fucks in a full fursuit? That shit is crazy expensive.
Murrsuits are a thing, made specifically for that purpose.