Publication Type: Advocacy

Brief to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs regarding Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act

This brief compares the Criminal Code provisions proposed by Bill C-36 against the Criminal Code provisions struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Bedford. It explains how the new law, if enacted, will replicate the effects of the old law on the security of sex workers and, as such, reproduce the harms the Supreme Court of … Read more

Letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper re: Canada’s response to the decision in Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford

“We are concerned about the direction your government is taking with respect to adult prostitution in Canada. Bill C-36, also known as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, proposes a legal regime that criminalizes many aspects of adult prostitution, including the purchase of sexual services, the advertisement of sexual services, and most communication … Read more

Brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights regarding its study of Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act

“We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the study of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act and to draw the Committee’s attention to certain elements which are particularly relevant from the perspective of health and human rights.”

Letter to Kirsten Hillman, Chief Negotiator, Trans‐Pacific Partnership re: Request for access and transparency in the TPP negotiating round in Ottawa

“It is our understanding that Canada will host the next negotiating round of the Trans‐Pacific Partnership, including Chief Negotiators meetings, in Ottawa in early July…. [I]t is critical that Canada ensures and facilitates opportunities for civil society stakeholder engagement with negotiators during the Ottawa round of negotiations….”

Open Letter to the Government of Canada re: Urgent action to prevent further human rights violations against LGBTQ people and end hate laws

“We welcome your public statements as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs condemning the adoption of anti‐LGBTQ laws in Russia, Nigeria and Uganda…. However, such statements are not enough…. We therefore call upon the Government of Canada to act, individually and in concert with other like‐minded governments, to defend the fundamental human rights of LGBTQ people. … Read more

Open letter from civil society to Executive Director of the Global Fund: Abandon the “blue-ribbon Task Force to develop a global framework on tiered-pricing”

“We, the undersigned organizations and activists from the global South and North, are writing to urge the Global Fund to abandon its attempt to launch a “blue-ribbon Task Force” that will focus primarily on developing a global multi-tiered pricing framework for middle-income countries (MICs), which we believe would permanently undermine access to more affordable medicines, … Read more

Joint statement to UN Special Rapporteurs re: Intersex issues

This joint statement to the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, was delivered on behalf of several intersex NGOs from around the world at the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Joint letter to UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé re: Russia and the Fourth Conference on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“On behalf of advocates for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), we write to express our concerns about the Fourth Conference on HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECAAC) which is being organized with great influence from its host, the government of the Russian … Read more