Justice committee  As the minister indicated, the poll was quite extensive. There were only a few questions dealing with prostitution, so when you talk about $175,000—if that's what was true—there were only a couple of questions on prostitution. There were a whole bunch of questions on other topics.

Justice committee  May I take you back to the objectives that the minister mentioned? Bill C-36's overall objectives are to reduce the demand—

Justice committee  That's what I'm responding to. The overall objective of Bill C-36 is to reduce prostitution, discourage entry into prostitution, and to deter participation. It also recognizes that the process of trying to deter prostitution is not an easy avenue, and that in the course of that people who engage in prostitution and selling sexual services need to be protected.

Justice committee  Well, no. It would allow the provision of sexual services in indoor locations, either—

Justice committee  —independently or collectively. It will permit a person to hire bodyguards.

Justice committee  This is not the only place in criminal law where we have asymmetrical criminal law. We have asymmetrical criminal law in suicide. It is not an offence to commit suicide; it's an offence to aid someone. That's asymmetrical. It is an offence to sell drugs; it is not an offence to purchase drugs.

Justice committee  That is why the bill immunizes...and says that the seller of sex will not be prosecuted—

Justice committee  We looked at a number of different models. The consultation paper, which was distributed in March, actually referred to three different approaches. They were general, but there were a lot of variations between them. Those three approaches were considered. Everything was looked at—from total abolition to total criminalization, as in some American states, to the Nordic model, to decriminalization models.

Justice committee  When we provide options, we provide pros and cons of each option in terms of benefits and disadvantages. Policy decisions are made on the basis of the analysis.

Justice committee  Yes.

Justice committee  Well, there would be whatever the pros would be for decriminalization or full criminalization, or full decriminalization—

Justice committee  —would be a con.

Justice committee  The pros of this bill are that it responds to Bedford. Bedford found that the existing fee provisions infringed section 7 charter rights of sex workers because it prevented them from taking measures to protect themselves while they were engaged in a risky but legal activity.

Justice committee  In particular, the areas that the court found to be of concern were that sex workers were not able to sell sex from fixed indoor locations. They had to keep moving around because the definition of bawdy house was such that if a place was used more than once, it became a bawdy house.

Justice committee  The purchasers of sexual services are criminalized for offering to purchase or purchasing in any place, so location, any time—