Editorial
The recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that the nation's prostitution law is unconstitutional places the burden squarely on the shoulders of the Harper government to ensure the protection of vulnerable sex trade workers.
The high court has given the Tories one year to come up with a prostitution law that is constitutional ñ failing to do so would effectively decriminalize street soliciting, brothels, and most seriously, living off the avails of prostitution, also known as pimping.
While prostitution is typically seen as a ëbig-city issue', rural communities, including those in West Central Alberta, are also impacted because rural residents are among those recruited to work in the sex trade, including in Red Deer and Calgary.
As such, federal government MPs need to make the settling of this issue a top priority in 2014.
Immediately after the high court ruling, Alberta's Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said the ruling ìraises serious concerns around the laws prohibiting prostitution and the many negative effects associated with the sex trade in Alberta.î
ìAlberta will be raising these concerns with the federal government to ensure the safety of our communities and the well-being of vulnerable women involved in the sex trade remain paramount,î said Denis.
ìAlberta remains committed to protecting people from sexual exploitation and ensuring there are provisions in place for people who manipulate and exploit vulnerable individuals trapped in prostitution.î
Prime Minister Harper has said his government is opposed to the decriminalization of prostitution.
ìWe view prostitution as bad for society and we view its effects as particularly harmful for our communities and women, and particularly for vulnerable women, and we will continue to oppose prostitution in Canada," said Harper.
Justice Minister Peter MacKay added that the federal government plans to examine options to ensure the criminal law continues to address the ìsignificant harms that flow from prostitution.î
If the Harper government fails to prevent pimping from being decriminalized, it would certainly be a step backward in the fight against sexual victimization.
This is not a moral issue. Instead it is an issue of public safety and the prevention of exploitation of women by organized crime.
As such it is now up to the Tories to do whatever is necessary to enact an anti-pimping prostitution law that will stand up to court challenges ñ anything less will immediately put many more young women, including those living in West Central Alberta's rural communities, in heightened danger at the hands of these predator pimps and their recruiters.
And if the Harper Tories can't do the job, then Canadians will look to other parties to set things right.
