Prostitution law hearings begin in Ottawa

Contentious hearings on laws that will affect prostitutes and their clients began Monday before the Commons justice committee in Ottawa.

In December, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s old prostitution law and gave the government a year to replace it with one that would comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Prostitution itself was actually legal in Canada under the old law, but most related activities – including communicating in a public place for the purposes of prostitution, pimping and running a brothel – were criminal offences.

The Supreme Court said that amounted to a violation of the basic Charter right to security of the person and was concerned that the provisions unduly increased the risk to sex workers.

The government says it is racing to a tight December deadline imposed by the Supreme Court of Canada to create a new law.

The Conservatives’ new bill creates new offences for clients and pimps, but does not criminalize prostitutes themselves.

Justice Minister Peter MacKay says the government’s message this week is to pass the bill because there’s a sense of urgency. Mr. MacKay says he’s open to amending the bill, but he’s dropping strong hints that will have limits.

He says the bill is constitutionally sound and is an adequate response to the Supreme Court.

Francoise Boivin, the justice critic for the official opposition New Democratic Party, says she wants the government to slow down and thoughtfully craft a new, Charter-compliant law over the summer months.