This important case in Ontario Superior Court upheld Canada's prostitution law Sept. 18, 2023. The EFC released a statement celebrating this decision and also signed onto a joint statement from a national working group of survivors of prostitution, service providers and advocates.
The EFC intervened in the case in Oct. 2022 since it was a constitutional challenge to Canada’s laws on prostitution. The challenge was launched by the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform. Intervener status enabled the EFC to make written and oral arguments to the Court.
The current prostitution law, known as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA), was passed in 2014.
The EFC’s legal arguments (factum) pointed out that Parliament’s objective in passing PCEPA was to reduce the demand for prostitution. Parliament intended to discourage entry into prostitution, deter participation in it and ultimately abolish it to the extent possible. We argued that the act of purchasing sexual services is exploitative in and of itself and that the current laws protect human dignity and equality.
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