The Development of the Criminal Law. Parliamentary Review of Bill C The Response of the Government. Bill C Royal Assent 27 October Bill C Royal Assent and in force 28 December Bill C An Act to amend the Criminal Code child prostitution, child sex tourism, criminal harassment and female genital mutilation Royal Assent 25 April Bill C Royal Assent 11 March Prostitution is a controversial subject, involving complex and contradictory interests, values and issues.
This situation poses difficult questions to government: which jurisdiction should exercise its powers to deal with prostitution, and what type of power should be used?
Moreover, how far should the state go in exercising its powers to limit the practice of prostitution, and is prostitution a problem in itself, or merely part of larger problems? Prostitution is at once a feminist and civil libertarian issue, and a law and order issue. It raises questions of morality and constitutional rights and freedoms. One of the few areas of consensual sexual activity that is still subject to legal control and the imposition of criminal sanctions, prostitution continues to engender vigorous debate.
The actual act of exchanging sexual gratification for a consideration between adults has never been criminally illegal in Canada. The criminal law did, and does, however, deal with activities related to prostitution which are deemed a threat to public order or offensive to public decency.
Section 1 c deemed every woman a vagrant who:. Under it, however, women, and only women, could be dealt with essentially on the basis of status and not for any overt act, the usual basis of criminal liability.
