Tory Porn Attack An Error?

On Friday, the Conservatives issued a controversial press release saying that the Liberals and NDP had not backed their proposal to toughen Canada's child pornography legislation. The headline on the press release read "Paul Martin supports child pornography?"

The Conservatives then withdrew the headline and issued a new press release with a less provocative headline. Moments later the same release went out again with the provocative headline - apparently a computer glitch.

The allegation prompted Paul Martin, NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe to cal on Conservative Leader Stephen Harper to apologize. Instead, Harper upped the ante by criticizing Martin for voting against opposition motions to strengthen anti-pornography legislation.

The Conservatives say that their motions were aimed at closing a loophole which exempts some art from anti-pornography legislation on the grounds of artistic merit. Others point out that under the Conservative's motion Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel's nude figures of child-angels would have been deemed child porn under the Tory motion.