As the federal government prepares to table new prostitution legislation this afternoon, Justice Minister Peter MacKay says the government’s bill will be a “Canadian model.”
“It will respond to what we feel are the circumstances that address community protection, but protection of vulnerable people and recognize the inherent dangers associated with prostitution,” MacKay told reporters in Ottawa Wednesday morning.
Justice Minister Peter MacKay says new prostitution legislation, which will be tabled later today, will be a ‘Canadian model.’ (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
“Whatever we do legislatively will of course be accompanied with programming aimed at helping women, predominantly women exiting prostitution,” MacKay said.
- New prostitution bill to be introduced Wednesday
- Prostitution survey finds support for making selling sex legal
- Supreme Court strikes down Canada’s prostitution laws
Today’s highly anticipated bill will be the government’s response to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling in December, which found the country’s prostitution laws unconstitutional.
The top court struck down key provisions including laws prohibiting brothels, living on the avails of prostitution and communicating in public with clients, saying the laws were too broad and “grossly disproportionate.”
The Supreme Court gave the federal government one year to come up with new legislation.
Leave a Comment