This series contains correspondence between CAP and the individuals and departments they sought to lobby, including the Toronto Police Department, various politicians on the local, federal, and provincial level, owners of variety stores that sold pornographic material, and media companies. The series also contains correspondence with other anti-pornography groups.
This series contains publications and newspaper clippings about feminists debates on pornography and censorship, as well as Canada's implementation of stricter laws surrounding the importation and display of pornographic material. The series also contains miscellaneous publications related to CAP founder Stephanie Holbick's work in Northern Ontario.
This series contains material related to CAP meetings, events, and publicity strategies. The files in this series include minutes, press releases, workshop plans, and other related documents.
This series contains material and reports produced by other anti-pornography groups, including the Alberta Coalition Against Pornography and and Resources Against Pornography. CAP was one of many groups in Toronto (and across Canada) seeking to curb the proliferation of pornography in the 1980s. This series thus provides information about how CAP's mandate dovetailed with other organizations, such as Media Watch and ACTRA, the performers' trade union.
This series contains articles, reports, and discussion papers related to the legislation of pornography and pornography's effect on its consumers. The series includes research produced by members of CAP, as well as reports by other anti-pornography groups such as the Masculine Collective Against Sexism and the Vancouver Coalition for a Non-Sexist Criminal Code.
This series contains material related to CAP's lobbying efforts, particularly in the fields of customs and censorship. CAP argued that there should be more thorough inspection of violent and pornographic material imported to Canada from the Unite States. They also sought enforcement of censorship laws for pornographic material displayed in variety stores and other public places. This series thus includes drafts and final copies of reports that CAP submitted to the federal and provincial governments, and other material related to customs and censorship regulation. Much of this material is related to the Fraser Committee, also known as the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution, which was convened by the Justice Department of Canada to study social problems related to sex work.
The fonds primarily contain material related to CAP's lobbying efforts, which involved studying the effects of pornography, compiling reports, and writing letters in an effort to curb the proliferation of material they viewed as violent and degrading to women. They also sought to demonstrate that current pornography laws were not being actively enforced; to do so, they surveyed a number of variety stores in Toronto Ward 3, and pressured Toronto Police to take action. Moreover, CAP argued that illegal material was being allowed through customs, and that inspection fell short of adhering to censorship legislation already in place. Through this fonds, researchers can learn about how the feminist porn wars unfolded in Canada, including debates about the dangers of censorship versus the risk of children's exposure to obscene material. While CAP argued that the display of violent pornography violated the human rights of women and children, the CAP fonds demonstrates that defining obscenity in legislation was both challenging and morally fraught. -- Le fonds contient principalement des documents relatifs aux efforts de lobbying de la CAP, qui ont consisté à étudier les effets de la pornographie, à compiler des rapports et à écrire des lettres dans le but de freiner la prolifération de matériel qu'ils considéraient comme violent et dégradant pour les femmes. Ils ont également cherché à démontrer que les lois existantes sur la pornographie n'étaient pas activement appliquées en enquêtant sur un certain nombre de magasins de variétés dans le quartier 3 de Toronto et en faisant pression sur la police de Toronto pour qu'elle prenne des mesures. En outre, la CAP a fait valoir que du matériel illégal était autorisé à passer la douane et que l'inspection ne respectait pas la législation sur la censure déjà en place. Grâce à ce fonds, les chercheurs peuvent apprendre comment la guerre du porno féministe s'est déroulée au Canada, y compris les débats sur les dangers de la censure par rapport au risque d'exposer les enfants à du matériel obscène. Alors que le CAP a soutenu que l'exposition de pornographie violente violait les droits humains des femmes et des enfants, le fonds CAP démontre que la définition de l'obscénité dans la législation était à la fois difficile et exigeante d'un point de vue moral.
