Originally Posted by
welsh
[/B]It seems you're missing my point, because we're not being clear what a "crime" is. Breaking the law is only a crime if the law you break is in the Criminal Code. Anything else is just an offence. Trespassing is an offence, but it's not a crime.
The reason I say these kids could probably not be charged has nothing to do with their age. The same would hold true if they were 27 years old. All crimes have an element of intent, which is usually spelled out in the law.
In the case of this bill, Breitkreuz seems to have done a pretty good job of spelling that out:
Everyone commits an offence who intentionally interferes with lawful hunting, trapping, fishing or sport shooting....
"Intentionally interferes" has a clear meaning. It would not be enough simply to do something that you knew could cause interference; you would have to intend the interference. This is aimed at people who set out to sabotage hunts, interfere with traps, and so on. So these kids could not be charged with the criminal offence, because they lack criminal intent.