I have been paying some attention to the hearings currently taking place regarding the new Prostitution Bill before Parliament and it has come as no surprise that much of the testimony has been against it. Most of that testimony asserts that the new Bill would make it very unsafe for sex workers and their customers.
Of course the Conservative government does not care. It is often forgotten because he does not wear his religion on his sleeve but Stephen Harper is an evangelical Christian. His caucus is dominated by them and the Reform wing of the Party, which currently holds sway over the whole of the CPC, is also dominated by them.
One thing that can be said about evangelical Christians is they are obsessed with sex. They are particularly obsessed with people having sex that is not approved by their very narrow view of morality. Same sex, premarital sex and sex for sale are anathema to them and they have no time for people who commit any of those "sins".
So of course they do not give a damn about the safety of sex workers or their customers. As far as they are concerned any harm that comes to them is a result of their immorality and they deserve whatever happens to them.
As well, the politics is pretty obvious. The Supreme Court decision was ideal for firing up the base and it gave the Harper government an opportunity to enhance its social conservative bonafides without opening up any big debates on more controversial issues such as abortion.
So will the new Bill survive the Supreme Court when it reaches there? No, but the Conservatives do not care. By the time it gets their an election will have happened so this issue can be safely punted into the future.
Governing for your base is a lousy way to govern but it has been the MO of this government so it should come as no surprise that they did it this time too.
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