Best of VICE Canada

Episode 1

The New Era of Canadian Sex Work

After the Canadian Supreme Court struck down laws around sex work as being harmful to people in the trade, the federal government passed Bill C-36, which criminalizes johns who patronize sex workers. The government argues these laws are intended to protect women from human traffickers, but critics say they make the trade more dangerous for those consensually doing sex work. It's now illegal for sex workers to advertise their services, and because johns are committing a crime, they may pressure workers to rush into encounters without vetting potential clients. We sent Lowell, a pop singer and former stripper, to meet with policy makers and law enforcement officials to discuss C-36. Lowell also went down to Nevada to see how a regulated, legal sex industry functions. Finally, she met with a john to see how he feels about his behaviour becoming newly illegal.