Canada's prostitution laws: Did a judge make the right call?
- September 29, 2010 3:55 PM |
- By POV
Dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford carries a riding crop while arriving at Ontario Superior Court in Toronto on Tuesday, October 6, 2009. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)
By CBC News
The federal Conservatives will appeal an Ontario court ruling that struck down key parts of Canada's prostitution laws, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said Wednesday.
"Prostitution is a problem that harms individuals," Nicholson said in question period. "[The government] will appeal and seek a stay of that decision."
Tuesday's ruling by the Ontario Superior Court said laws against keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of the sex trade put sex workers in danger.
Earlier Wednesday, Nicholson's parliamentary secretary, Bob Dechert, told the CBC's Susan Lunn that the Conservatives would likely appeal.
"Anyone that believes that women are involved in the sex trade are not victims is very mistaken," Dechert said. "There's a lot of victims in that industry and we need to protect them."
Read more.
What do you think? Did the judge make the right decision in striking down key parts of Canada's prostitution laws? Take our poll.
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)
Categories
All News blogs
Most Commented
Most Recommended
Point of View
Most Commented
Most Recommended
Recent Entries
- Internet freedom: Should government have the ability to shut down the internet?
- The Egyptian government shut down access to the internet and the country's cellphone data network early Friday, according to media reports. Internet and cellphone data service was unavailable throughout the country, making it impossible for news of the protests... Continue reading this post
- Access to information: Does Canada need to be more open with data?
- By CBC NewsCanada lags behind most other countries when it comes to sharing data with its citizens, according to the chair of the standing committee on access to information.Charlottetown MP Shawn Murphy's committee has been looking into how other jurisdictions... Continue reading this post
- TTC bus driver: Do you often see your local drivers texting?
- The Toronto Sun on Thursday published a picture sent by a reader of a TTC bus driver driving while texting on a mobile device. (Toronto Sun)The Toronto Transit Commission is coming under fire after the emergence of a picture... Continue reading this post