Is prostitution legal in canada?

huskerman23's Avatar
or will it start in December 2014? I am so confused.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle19610318/

Basically, prostitution is not illegal right now because their supreme court struck down parts of existing laws. But if I read the new laws correctly, that will change and it will be illegal as soon as they pass.. December is when the current laws against it expire unless the current bills pass.

it will be interesting to see how this affects P411
Been awhile since reading the court opinion that did sweep away a lot of old legislation, but its a bit more complicated than that.

The court picked apart the laws piecemeal so some pieces (arguably?) remain. YES there are a few legislative initiatives and YES they need to pass something by 12/2014 and IF THEY DON'T (pass new laws) the court will have "decriminalized" prostitution in Canada.

Trees going out of limb here: Canada's legislature will FAIL to introduce mutually agreeable legislation that is sufficiently broad to catch MOST prostitution and that the decision (last December) of Canada's Supreme court will make history.

Instead of making it LEGAL by law, politicians can make it LEGAL - - effectively, by doing nothing.

19Trees
GinaXXX's Avatar
Prostitution has always been legal in Canada.

However, a bill has been introduced (not yet passed) that will make the purchase of sex illegal, while the sale of sex remains legal.

It would be unlikely to stand up to any constitutional challenges, but that could take a few years if it is pushed through in December.

It will always be legal to purchase, sell, and advertise a person's time though.

ie: $200/30 min & $300/60 min

Always,
Gina
Cpalmson's Avatar
It can be confusing. The way I understand Canada law is that a girl can do outcalls and there is nothing illegal about that. However, a girl can't have an incall as it is considered a "bawdy house". I think the rational is that property values would decline if a house of prostitution was known to exist in a neighborhood. If a girl wanted to sell her time at a hotel by visiting a gentleman's room, there was nothing wrong with that. BTW, I had a nice time in Canada with a provider. It was so refreshing not to have to worry about LE.
While it will still be legal to sell, it will be illegal to buy.

It will also be illegal to advertise or communicate anywhere a minor could reasonably be expected to be - for example near schools or in residential areas. However, this provision can also include the internet or newspapers.

This legislation is a win-win for the government - if it passes, they can claim a moral victory. If it doesn't pass, they can blame the other political parties as being soft on crime. If the courts strike down this law too (which most experts agree they will), they can say that they tried...

My prediction is that the status quo will remain: The police will enforce street prostitution, but will only go after escorts and massage parlors if the neighbours complain or it becomes obvious what's going on.
So, would Canada admit a visitor who had committed prostitution in another country? Would a new law change the answer? Interesting.