Conservatives In Denial

Canada's federal government is refusing to decriminalize prostitution with Justice Minister Peter MacKay stating the approach is to "abolish it to the extent possible".  MacKay has stated that the intent of the proposed new law, Bill C-36, is to reduce the demand for prostitution by discouraging participation. From my perspective, the government's preoccupation with refusing to decriminalize prostitution and acknowledging the reality of its ever-lasting existence is less about the welfare of those involved and more about bowing to pressure from the religious right within the Conservative Party.

When the government talks about "abolishing" the world's oldest profession, we need to wonder what they are smoking. By focusing their strategy solely on the alleged perils of prostitution, as they perceive it, the government has failed to bring a needed level of objectivity to the discussion. Prostitution as been decriminalized in many jurisdictions around the world and their successes/failures ought to have been factored into the Canadian debate. The so-called law and order agenda of the Conservatives needs a reality check, not just for prostitution but for any law that seems to disregard the notion of practicality.