The United States sure had some crazy laws regarding sex, but what about their neighbors to the North? With a reputation for being polite and friendly, we were pleasantly surprised to find out their attitudes, laws, and habits are pretty relaxed. Erm, quite relaxed!
1. Using Your Mouth for More than Saying ‘Eh’
Oral sex was legalized in 1969 (purely coincidental, we’re sure.)
2. Three’s Not a Crowd…
Maybe it’s because it’s a bilingual country, but 1 in 5 Canadians said they had taken part in a ménage a trois, and another 29% said they were interested.
3. …Unless You’re Taking the Back Roads
Anal sex is legal in Canada, but only between those over 18, provided no more than two people are present. Three provinces (Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta) have struck this down as unconstitutional.
4. Vive la Revolution!
In 1969, then-Justice-Minister-and-future-Prime-Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, famously said “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” He created the bill that decriminalized homosexuality and legalized abortion and contraception.
5. No Need to Paddle Your Own Canoe
Nearly 10% of Canadians confess to having had sex in a canoe. A senior researcher commented “I don’t personally know anyone who’s had sex in a canoe, or even how you’d go about that, but I do know canoe usage is quite high in North America.”
6. They Swing that Way
As of 2005 Supreme Court ruling, swingers clubs, or clubs that ‘that allow group sex and partner swapping do not harm Canadian society and should not be considered criminal.” Should you be curious which clubs this was specifically in reference to, check out L’Orage in Montreal.
7. Those Long, Cold Winter Nights…
The average Canadian spends 37 minutes on foreplay and sex per session.
8. No Shirts, No Problem!
As of 1991, it is legal for women to be topless in Ontario, after a college student was fined for taking her shirt off on a hot day and challenged the ($75) ticket. It was determined that being shirtless is not an inherently sexual act, and therefore does not fall under indecent exposure.
9. Public Sex is Illegal(ish)
Sex in public is illegal (despite roughly 49% of Canadian admitting to having done it), but a judge in a 1981 ruled in favor of a couple having a late night tryst in their car, as “it is obvious the accused did not want to be seen.”
10. Spreading their Maple Seeds
Canadian men have an average of 23 partners in their lifetime (compared with 21 in Spain, 19 in Italy, 17 in France, and 13 in the US.) Canadian women say they have 10 partners, also more than their counterparts in those countries.