[Flash Walken]

The federal government has tabled proposed prostitution legislation it says would target johns and the pimps who sell and profit from prostitution, rather than the prostitutes themselves.

"The bill recognizes that the vast majority of those who sell sexual services do not do so by choice. We view the vast majority of those involved in selling sexual services as victims," MacKay said.

However, the bill – dubbed the protection of communities and exploited persons act – would put a heavy emphasis on fines for those who purchase sexual services in public places.

While MacKay said the aim of the bill is not to target prostitutes, he said they could face prosecution if found to be selling their services in public spaces where children may be present.

"They would face fines in most instances," MacKay said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pros...664683?cmp=rss

OTTAWA — The Harper government reacted defiantly Tuesday to a B.C. study which said its plan to bring in a law targeting buyers of sexual services rather than prostitutes will just end up victimizing sex workers in contravention of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The study, sponsored partly by the University of B.C., said the plan is "rhetorically powerful" and "politically appealing" but downright dangerous to the health and safety of prostitutes.

But the government countered with research of its own — a recent online survey which found support for its pending legislation to go after the buyers rather than sellers.

"Our Government has been clear that we will bring forward legislation to address the significant harms that flow from prostitution to communities and vulnerable people," said Paloma Aguilar, spokeswoman for Justice Minister Peter MacKay.

"Our comprehensive response will be reflective of the extensive consultation our Government has held on this subject, which included over 31,000 responses to an online consultation and an in-person stakeholder roundtable hosted by Minister MacKay."

The B.C. research involves interviews with 31 street prostitutes conducted last year after the Vancouver Police Department formally launched a policy to target so-called "johns," or sex buyers, while trying to protect sex workers.

That policy is similar to one that had been initiated in Sweden years ago and is now being copied in other European jurisdictions.

The Canadian government has indicated it is about to bring in legislation following Sweden's lead, in light of the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark decision last December striking down Canada's anti-prostitution laws.

Canada's highest court found that those laws, which left prostitution itself legal but criminalized most activities surrounding the trade, endangered the health and safety of sex workers in contravention of their Charter rights, and gave the government a year to come up with a Charter-compliant alternative.

"While rhetorically powerful and politically appealing, there is a fundamental conceptual inconsistency in policies that criminalize clients and purport to prioritize the safety of sex workers," the study concluded.

The report said the Vancouver research backs studies in Sweden indicating that the targeting of sex buyers doesn't make prostitutes any safer, since their livelihoods depend on making sure their clients don't get busted.

"Sex workers continued to mistrust police, had to rush screening clients, and were displaced to outlying areas with increased risks of violence, including being forced to engage in unprotected sex," the report said.

The peer-reviewed study was published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal Open, was sponsored by the University of B.C.'s department of medicine, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, the Pivot Legal Society, and the Vancouver organization Sex Workers United Against Violence.

The department of justice's online survey in February received 31,172 responses. Of the respondents 56 per cent said the buying of sexual services should be criminalized, compared to 44 per cent who said it shouldn't. However, just 34 per cent said the sale of sexual services should result in criminal charges, compared to 66 per cent who said it shouldn't.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Ott...365/story.html

The flurry of attention and the rush to establish a nation-wide agreement is heavily motivated by one looming deadline: the expiration of Canada's current sex work laws. When the Supreme Court struck down the laws as unconstitutional, they ruled that the laws will remain in place for one more year in order to give the government time to develop and bring forward new legislation.

The government could, in theory, allow the current laws expire, in which case sex work could be treated like all other types of work. Alternatively, they can introduce new legislation. Justice Minister Peter MacKay has already stated that the government will introduce new legislation, and that it will do so "well before" the December deadline. The government is keen on instituting the Nordic model of dealing with sex work -- in which the purchase of sex would be criminalized -- but it is not yet known what specific laws they plan to introduce.

According to the Department of Justice website, an in-person consultation with "a number of stakeholder representatives" was held on March 3 "to seek their views and input" on the future of sex work legislation in Canada. There is no mention of who these individuals or groups were. What is apparent is that the perspectives of several major stakeholders were completely overlooked.
Maggie's, WISH and PEERS are three of the largest sex worker support organizations in Canada, and none of them have been contacted by the government for their input. The people who staff these organizations have many years of experience providing support to those who work in the sex trade, and no doubt have a great deal of insight to offer on the problems that exist in the industry.

Kate Gibson, the Executive Director of WISH, reports that "No one from the government has contacted WISH to receive feedback directly from sex workers. One might hope that this would happen given that they are the ones who are the authorities in their lives and who are the most qualified to respond."

Madame Sage, a representative from Maggie's in Toronto, shared a similar revelation, lamenting that "As far as I know the government has not attempted to consult with any sex workers or sex worker organizations regarding the laws." The government hasn't reached out to PEERS in Victoria either. It is unclear who they are consulting with, and why they are not reaching out to people who have some of the most relevant experience of anyone in the country.

University of Victoria sociologist Rachel Phillips explains that when New Zealand was developing its sex work laws, "the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective was instrumental to shaping the legislation." While not all of their requests were included in the policies that were created, Dr. Phillips notes that "at least they were part of the conversation."

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/view...clude-workers-