Feds ask public for input on prostitution law

February 18, 2014

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With Canadians being asked to help rewrite the prostitution laws, League members now have their chance to be heard.  Below are some words you may choose to use as part of your response:

• The Catholic Women’s League of Canada supports the Nordic Model as stated in it’s Resolution 2009.01: Exit Strategies for Prostituted Persons and Resolution 2012.01: Criminalization of the Purchasing of Sexual Services. The Nordic model recognizes that the root cause of the exploitation of women through prostitution is the demand of male customers, without which the global industry of trafficking and prostitution would collapse. This model would criminalize the pimps and johns but not the prostitutes themselves, who are the victims of exploitation and are in need of exit strategies to regain control of their lives.

While we  encourage members to respond, we kindly remind all respondents they are doing so on an individual basis and not on behalf of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada.  The contact information appears at the end of the following press release.

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February 17, 2014 By The Canadian Press (thecanadianpress.com)

 

OTTAWA – The Conservative government wants to hear from Canadians about how to rewrite the country’s prostitution laws after those laws were struck down by the Supreme Court late last year.

A month-long online consultation period on the Justice Canada website begins today and runs to March 17.The high court gave the government one year to come up with new legislation, while existing laws that ban street soliciting, living on the avails of prostitution and keeping a brothel remain in the Criminal Code.Justice Minister Peter MacKay said earlier this month that the government had already started drafting new prostitution legislation, and planned to consult with police and provincial governments.The Conservative government has made it clear that simply allowing the laws to lapse, effectively legalizing prostitution, is not an option.However in the meantime, several provinces say they will not be prosecuting prostitution-related offences and that in some cases existing charges are being thrown out.

Those who wish to comment can do so through the Justice Department website  or by emailing Consultations.Prostitution@justice.gc.ca.