"Parliament has the power to regulate against nuisances, but not at the cost of the health, safety and lives of prostitutes," wrote the Chief Justice.The new Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act borrows heavily from the so-called Nordic model, first adopted by Sweden in 1999 and later by Norway, Finland and Iceland, under which selling a sexual service is legal but buying it is not.
Bill C-36, The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, was unveiled on Wednesday.
Bill C-36, The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, was unveiled on Wednesday.
For background: The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which was once known as Bill C-36, came into effect last year under the Harper government.
The victory forced the Harper Conservatives to create The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, or C-36, which was heavily criticized by human rights activists who claimed this new legislation was also putting women in danger.
"So it would be great if there was something in the middle here," St. John says, although she considers it wishful thinking at this stage because of the newly implemented Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act.
After the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (formerly Bill C-36) became law last month, the question on many sex workers' minds was "What now?" Well, now, Justin Trudeau is adding his voice to the chorus of criticism surrounding the bill's passing.
But while no one expected to hear the state of sex work discussed at length, referencing the dangerous nature of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act would have been a good way to specifically address issues facing women, Indigenous women, and immigrants, rather than making vague promises.
This is in keeping with a federal policy of criminalizing the demand side of the equation with the advent of Bill C-36, or the "Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act," which targets buyers and makes it illegal for third parties to advertise sex workers all in the name of keeping society and sex workers safe from sex trafficking and dirty, dirty johns.
Ministry of Justice spokesperson Simon Rivet declined VICE's request for an interview, but wrote that Jody Wilson-Raybould "had committed to review the adequacy of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act(former Bill C-36), in responding to all issues identified in the Supreme Court of Canada's 2013 Bedford decision".
And if you would release a private exploit someone found, this person may become your enemy — and this person is probably better than you are.
