Evidence of meeting #38 for Justice and Human Rights in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was trafficking.
A video is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
The paper called them “adult entertainment”, but in my view it's not entertainment. How is this entertainment? There's nobody watching a show—
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Fair enough.
Is your concern that the advertisement provisions might somehow negatively impact the businesses of your clients?
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
It's already been pointed out, Mr. Dechert, by your colleague that somehow the licensed adult entertainment clubs are connected into the advertising, and they are not.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Well, we have heard some stories from some of the women who have testified before the committee this week that they were trafficked into strip clubs—I don't know whether they were members of your association, but into certain places in Canada—and that there was some linkage between the two. But that was just the testimony of the—
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
I'd like to answer that.
Conservative
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
But was anybody charged in those cases? I hear anecdotal evidence too. Was anybody charged? Those are wild allegations, strong statements.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Sure, they are.
I don't know the answer to that question. I'm simply saying to you that this is what we heard.
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
Right, and I would be leery about it.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Let me ask you one more question. Time is short, and I want to move on to Ms. Scott and Ms. Lebovitch.
You mentioned the words....
Well, let me ask you, are you a lawyer?
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
No, sir.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Okay, so you're not a lawyer. But you mentioned the words “malicious intent” and “liable”.
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
Yes, sir.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Have you done any research into those terms? Do you have any legal training?
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
Sir, I didn't mean it to be a legal opinion.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
All right; that's fair enough. Then we'll leave it there.
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
If I can expand on it, though—
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
No, it's all right. I just wanted to find out whether you had studied it as a person learned in the law, and your answer—
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
No, but I would like to answer. It's called the rule of law.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
I'm sorry, we're out of time, and I want to move on to Ms. Scott.
Executive Director, Ontario Region, Adult Entertainment Association of Canada
Yes, sir.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Ms. Scott, you mentioned in your opening statement that you think that Parliament should just let the laws expire—
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
—that it should let the laws that were struck down by the Supreme Court fall, and that what would apply simply thereafter would be employment and labour law. Is that correct?
Legal Coordinator, Sex Professionals of Canada
Yes. I believe the Supreme Court struck, and for a very good reason—25,000 pages worth of reasons, really—