Q&A<\/a> on the new law.)<\/p>\nWe asked major political parties whether they would support the repeal of Bill C-36 and whether they would meet with sex workers<\/b> to discuss ensuring their rights, safety and dignity.<\/p>\n
All parties agreed that Bill C-36 was flawed legislation that failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. Both the NDP and Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois believed the bill should have been sent to the Supreme Court for review.<\/p>\n
\n- The Liberal Party<\/b> said it was \u201ccommitted to replacing this flawed, unconstitutional legislation,\u201d recalling that the Liberal caucus opposed the bill in parliament. The Liberal Party also said it would \u201cdeliver on prostitution reforms laws [sic<\/i>] formed in consultation with experts and civil society, including sex workers themselves, which includes rigorous examination of supporting facts and evidence.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- The Green Party<\/b> declared it \u201cwould immediately repeal Bill C-36 and work constructively with sex workers to draft legislation that ensures their rights, safety and dignity. Bill C-36 targets sex workers, a disproportionate number of them transgender and Indigenous, forcing them into greater secrecy and leaving them more vulnerable. We need laws that ensure the safety of sex workers, rather than endangering them further. Greens will undertake legal reform in Canada based on the New Zealand model [i.e., decriminalization]. We must provide more robust funding for social services focused on harm reduction, and assistance for those who wish to disengage from sex work.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- The New Democratic Party<\/b> noted that, during Parliament committee hearings into Bill C-36, \u201cwitnesses expressed almost universal disapproval of the government\u2019s decision to criminalize women involved in prostitution, despite the Bedford<\/i> ruling [of the Supreme Court of Canada]. It stated it would \u201cengage with sex workers and others to build a comprehensive strategy to better protect and support women.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- The Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois<\/b> stated its concern for the health and safety of sex workers, saying, \u201c[o]ur position [has been] that the Criminal Code provisions on prostitution endangered the health and safety of women sex workers.\u201d Unlike the other parties, it expressed a preference for reducing the demand for sexual services by criminalizing clients (an approach criticized by sex worker rights advocates): \u201cThe Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois acknowledges that the \u2018Nordic\u2019 approach, aimed at reducing demand for sexual services by criminalizing clients rather than prostitutes themselves, has some merit. The Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois is no more in favour of prostitution than any other party, and does not seek to encourage it.\u201d The Bloc acknowledged that \u201cthe \u201cNordic\u201d approach leaves issues unresolved,\u201d and could \u201chave perverse effects on the health and safety of women,\u201d but did not address the harms<\/a> sex workers and allies have highlighted as associated with this legislative model.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The issue of sex workers\u2019 rights and repealing Bill C-36 was also raised at the \u201cProud to Vote\u201d debate, co-sponsored by the Legal Network in Toronto on September 24, with a focus on LGBTQ community concerns \u2014 and a number of the candidates participating were decisive in stating their party\u2019s support for repealing Bill C-36<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Conservative Party of Canada did not respond to the questionnaire.<\/p>\n
\nFor more information:<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, \u201cNext government needs to come out from behind closed doors to publicly support sex workers<\/a>\u201d (Ricochet, 28 September 2015)<\/li>\n
- Info sheets from the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform<\/a><\/li>\n
- Naomi Sayers & Sarah Hunt, \u201cAbolition of sex work won\u2019t end violence against native women<\/a>\u201d (The Globe & Mail<\/i>, 22 January 2015)<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","publication_topics":[158],"publication_language":[184,185],"class_list":["post-9026","blog22","type-blog22","status-publish","hentry","publication_topics-sex-work","publication_language-english","publication_language-french"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22\/9026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publication_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_topics?post=9026"},{"taxonomy":"publication_language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_language?post=9026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}