Prostitution Unlikely to be Legalised in Canada despite Supreme Court Ruling in its Favour
Sex workers in Canada may have felt happy after the Supreme Court's ruling in favour of the trade that prostitution is finally going to be legalised in the country; however, the possibilities may still be bleak.
According to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (as said in 2012), prostitution is considered 'harmful' to the society. He said that his party would continue opposing prostitution in the country. The government has previously allowed free parliamentary voting on same-sex marriage and abortion. Prostitution, on the other hand, may not be easy to be legalised as major issues like this are sorted by politicians in the country, not the court.
Some of the Montreal massage parlours shamelessly notify their customers that they offer 'XXX massage' which treats them with a lot more than merely getting relieved from body pains and fatigue. However, these so-called 'massage' parlours are going to be strictly scrutinised as these parlours are notorious for being a refuge for human trafficking and prostitution.
Mayor Denis Coderre has been quite strict on these parlours since he got elected recently. One of his very first missions happens to be a control over the illicit massage parlours. Mr Coderre wishes legislation to be introduced so that strong actions can be taken against these. However, his initiatives are supposed to face strong opposition on the way.
Even though prostitution is not against the law in the country, several activities which become a part of this profession are considered as severe criminal offences which include operating brothels. The Supreme Court is going to make a decision whether prostitution will remain legal in the country or otherwise. It may additionally offer an alternative as well.
There are around 350 massage parlours in Montreal while there are several others in the suburb areas. Other Canadian cities have already initiated in cracking them down, Global News reports. Toronto has earlier introduced one bylaw which distinguishes between erotic massage parlours and actual ones. Calgary authorities shut down a massage parlour in October after there was a police raid which proved that the parlour was offering prostitution.