In response to the Supreme Court’s December 2013 ruling in the Bedford case, which struck down several key Criminal Code provisions regarding prostitution, the Harper Conservatives have introduced Bill C‑36, the “Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act “.
The Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada condemns Bill C‑36, which gives police forces sweeping new powers, and creates Criminal Code provisions to make it more difficult and dangerous for those who sell sexual services to carry out their activities. While the government claims it wants to assist women to leave prostitution, the legislation allocates a pittance of $20 million over five years for this purpose, at a time when governments are slashing spending and support for social programs. The Communist Party restates our longstanding demands for fundamental social reforms which would offer the best possible options to help those who wish to leave the sex trade, especially massive job creation programs, higher wages, free post‑secondary education, affordable housing, free universal child care, and mental health supports, drug treatment and harm reduction programs for those facing addictions. The federal government should be taking decisive action to combat poverty, discrimination, racism and other factors which push people into the sex trade; instead, the Harper Tories are cynically using this important issue as a wedge tactic to seek votes in the next federal election. We therefore demand that this legislation be withdrawn immediately.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada