How Bill-36 Perpetuates Problems for Sex Workers in Light of Bedford
The Bedford decision looked at safety issues facing sex workers due to the restrictiveness of the criminal code provisions at the time. Before Bedford, sex workers could be convicted for selling their services out of a particular location, and they could not hire staff to make the selling of their services safer. In Bedford, it was ruled that these criminal code provisions infringed upon the rights of sex workers and government was given a year to change the provisions to mak
Judiciary Compromised by Biased Assumptions
Does there not need to be consistency in decisions by a body like the Canadian Judicial Council? How can you reconcile judicial decisions where the Council recommends removal of judges for victim-blaming comments with decisions where comments of a similar nature, reinforcing the same stereotypes, did not result in the same outcome?The purpose of this commentary is to compare and contrast two high profile cases, R v. Wagar, and R v. Ewanchuk.
Tiger King: Alternative Polygamous Relationships Not Contemplated by Justice Bauman
In Canada, polygamy remains a crime, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman ruled in the 2011 Reference re s. 293 of Criminal Code case. To arrive at his decision, Justice Bauman applied the Oakes test which resulted in a finding that s. 293 of the Criminal Code, which makes polygamy a criminal offence, violates the religious freedom of fundamentalist Mormons. However, the potential for harms against women and children was found to far outweigh that concern.
Bill C-84: A Step in the Right Direction
Bill C-841 was introduced by the Liberal government in 2018. Aside from expanding the scope of animal fighting offences, it also sought to finally define bestiality statutorily. As of June 2019, the proposed definition was codified in section 160(7) of the Criminal Code. To adequately grasp the impact of Bill C-84, regard must be had to the history of bestiality in Canada.
Unforeseen Virtue of the Landmark Decision in R v Bedford
The COVID-19 pandemic has lead to many different changes to our everyday lives. The delivery of services has changed for many different sectors. Service providers in a variety of service sectors have increased the risk to their person to continue to deliver their services and continue to earn a living.
Some people have observed that sex workers may face a unique increase to risk during the COVID-19 crisis. My article will outline the Supreme Court’s decision in R v. Bedford.
