Resources
- Bill C-75 in September 2018 threatens to weaken the good laws brought into force in 2014. The EFC defended current laws in a written brief and oral presentation.
- Video of presentation to the Senate committee (or search the CPAC video archive for "evangelical fellowship" and select September 9, 2014, scroll to 11:55 minute mark)
- Suzanne Jay and Alice Lee (Asian Women Coalition Ending Prostitution); K. Brian McConaghy (Ratanak International); Julia Beazley (the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada), and Katrina Pacey and Kerry Porth (Pivot Legal Society representatives) offer their perspectives on Bill C-36, the federal government's proposed prostitution legislation. (September 9, 2014)
- Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (July, 2014)
- Video of presentation made to the House of Commons committee hearings on the bill. A videorecording is also available (or search the CPAC video archive for "evangelical fellowship" and select July 7, 2014).
- The committee wraps up its first day of hearings on Bill C-36, the federal government's new prostitution legislation. Manitoba Justice Minister Andrew Swan, Julia Beazley with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle representatives Diane Matte and Rose Sullivan, Natasha Falle from Sex Trafficking Survivors United, and Jean McDonald and Chanelle Gallant, who are both representing Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project, offer their perspectives. (July 7, 2014)
- EFC Welcomes New Legislation On Prostitution Media release (June 4, 2014)
Bill C-36 Becomes Law - The EFC Responds
On June 4, 2014, the Government introduced Bill C-36, Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. It was recently passed by Parliament, received royal assent on Nov. 6, 2014, and is now law.
This legislation is the federal government’s response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling in R v. Bedford in December, 2013, which found three key prostitution-related provisions of the Criminal Code to be unconstitutional. The Court gave Parliament one year to respond, if they chose to do so.
The Government acted on the view that prostitution is fundamentally dangerous and exploitive, and a violation of human dignity and gender equality. This aspect of the Government’s position is clearly presented in recent Government statements and in the preamble to the Act.
The legislation has three stated objectives:
- Protecting those who sell their sexual services from exploitation
- Protecting communities from the harms caused by prostitution; and
- Reducing the demand for sexual services.
To achieve these objectives, the Government created new prostitution-related offences, and amended a number of others.
Bill C-36 created a new offence prohibiting the purchase of sexual services, regardless of location. In effect, this means that a sex buyer’s conduct is illegal wherever it occurs – whether on the street, in a private residence, massage parlour or similar venue. The legislation backs this up with significant fines and potential jail sentences that will have a real deterrent effect.
The Act also maintains and enhances prohibitions against pimping or profiting from the sexual exploitation of another person, as well as making it an offence to advertise the sale of sexual services of others in print media or on the Internet.
In the spirit and intent of the legislation, those who are prostituted are no longer seen as nuisances, but rather as vulnerable individuals, and so, except in specific circumstances, they are afforded immunity from criminal penalty. The bill created a new offence for the selling of sexual services where an individual under the age of 18 could reasonably be expected to be present.
The legislation is part of a two-pronged approach. In addition to reforming criminal laws relating to prostitution, the Government has made a $20 million commitment to support programs that will assist individuals in exiting prostitution. This new funding will be directed to a range of initiatives and efforts to assist vulnerable individuals in exiting prostitution.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) supports the approach reflected in this legislation. It is modeled after approaches used in some European countries, approaches supported by other national evangelical alliances like the EFC.
The EFC will be looking for assurances from the Government that education and awareness initiatives will be undertaken with law enforcement across the country to ensure that the spirit and intent of the law will be upheld when it comes to enforcement.