Evidence of meeting #98 for Justice and Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was prostitution.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Michel Picard Liberal Montarville, QC
So, would you say you can leave without any reservation, without any restriction, in all sincerity that if you leave your manager, you will not have any repercussions?
5:15 p.m.
Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform
Do you mean in the majority of cases that are not trafficking cases?
5:15 p.m.
Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform
I have never had that problem, and I've worked for dozens of massage parlours and a handful of escort agencies, and now I work part time on an independent basis, but I've never had a hard time leaving. You just move on to something else.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Michel Picard Liberal Montarville, QC
Ms. Falle, what is the percentage of the market that this exception represents?
5:15 p.m.
Co-Founder and Director, Sextrade101
It's very small, just from my own experience and the experiences of the women we have supported.
I personally have counselled over a thousand victims of sex trade and sex trafficking, and these are the stories I'm hearing. If they want to work in a particular strip club, they must perform fellatio to the manager or the owner, and if they don't, then they can no longer work there. I heard the same with a massage parlour not too long ago, where a massage parlour owner had HIV that was not disclosed and he was having the masseuses there perform unprotected fellatio if they wanted to work there.
Those are just a couple of examples. Most of the pimps I have known have moved up on the ladder. They may have started at the lower scale of things on the street, moved up with the money they gained off the backs of women, and opened up escort agencies and massage parlours. Just giving these guys a business permit doesn't turn them into good, honest businessmen. They still use the same abuse tactics.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
We pretty much have exhausted the time. You're at eight minutes.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
I know and it was very impressive too.
Thank you for reminding me that Canada has another official language.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
Do you have anything further, Mr Rankin?
Does anybody else who hasn't asked anything have anything further?
If you want to make the last comment, go ahead.
5:15 p.m.
Co-Founder, Persons Against Non-State Torture
I just want to respond to your question about whether the perpetrators look for people who could withstand sexualized torture. There are laws in different countries that specifically address sadism and sexualized torture, so we have some examples of that, but it is a recognized reality that the perpetrators demand different things, whether it's a newborn infant or whether it's torture victimization.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
Thank you very much.
I want to thank every member of the panel. You've brought different perspectives to us, and it's very much appreciated. We've heard from people across the country in many different contexts, and the panels have all been very different. Some panels have focused on labour, some panels have focused on a more legal framework, and others have focused on sex work, and it's going to be different everywhere.
Again, I really appreciate it. I think you created a bit of a debate and it was very helpful.
Thank you all, ladies, very much.
We'd like to wish everybody a very wonderful day.
The meeting is adjourned.
