(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Canada believe the country’s laws on prostitution should be modified, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion published in Maclean’s. 50 per cent of respondents would prefer to decriminalize some of the actions surrounding prostitution that are currently illegal and allowing adults to engage in consensual prostitution.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Canada believe the country’s laws on prostitution should be modified, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion published in Maclean’s. 50 per cent of respondents would prefer to decriminalize some of the actions surrounding prostitution that are currently illegal and allowing adults to engage in consensual prostitution.
Conversely, 25 per cent of respondents would prohibit prostitution entirely, and make it illegal to exchange sex for money. Only 16 per cent of respondents would keep the status quo, which criminalizes some of the activities surrounding prostitution.
Under current regulations, exchanging sex for money in Canada is legal. However, the Criminal Code makes many activities surrounding prostitution illegal, including the public communication for the purposes of prostitution, and owning, running, occupying or transporting anyone to a bawdy house (or brothel).
Last month, three Ontario sex workers launched a legal challenge to the country’s prostitution laws, claiming that current regulations "violate their constitutional rights and threaten their physical safety." The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has not issued a decision. A similar case is expected to be heard in British Columbia in January 2010.
Polling Data
Generally speaking, which of these policy options would you personally prefer to deal with the issue of prostitution in Canada?
|
Decriminalizing some of the actions surrounding prostitution that are currently illegal and allowing adults to engage in consensual prostitution |
50% |
|
Prohibiting prostitution entirely, and making it illegal to exchange sex for money |
25% |
|
Keeping the status quo, which criminalizes some of the activities surrounding prostitution |
16% |
|
Not sure |
8% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion / Maclean’s
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,006 Canadian adults, conducted on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
