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•
Section 210 of the Criminal Code (the bawdy-house
provision) should be struck down in its entirety. By extension,
s. 211 (which prohibits the transportation of anyone to a
bawdy-house) should consequentially be repealed;
• Section 213 of the Criminal Code
(the communicating provision) should be struck down in its
entirety; and
• Section 212(1) and (3) of the Criminal
Code (the procuring
provision) should be struck down, with the exception of the
international trafficking prohibitions found in s. 212(1)(f)
and (g), which are not addressed in this analysis.
Ending the criminalization of the sex work is
an essential step toward reducing the harms experienced by
sex workers.
However, the safety and well-being of sex workers
will not be secured through criminal law reform alone. Affiants
also proposed a number of important policy changes. They emphasized
that sex workers lack access to fundamental benefits and services.
Poverty, inadequate housing, violence, poor
health, addiction and law enforcement are major areas of concern.
There is an urgent need for policy change in each of these
areas as part of a comprehensive approach to improving the
lives of sex workers and ensuring alternatives for those who
wish to leave this occupation.
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| "The
affiants call for a new approach to providing choice and
safety for all sex workers that recognizes their fundamental
Charter rights and prioritizes their opinions
and experiences in future law and policy reform." |
This report is unique in that the evidence and
legal arguments are presented not to a court, but to the public
and to parliament. The relief sought here is not a judicial
remedy, but a strong call for systemic legal change.
The affiants call for a new approach to providing
choice and safety for all sex workers that recognizes their
fundamental Charter rights and
prioritizes their opinions and experiences in future law and
policy reform.
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