On September 28, 2010, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down several provisions of Canada's anti-prostitution laws, citing the dangers they created for sex workers. The case, Bedford v. Canada [PDF], was originally brought by the Sex Professionals of Canada. Although prostitution is technically legal in Canada, the court's ruling invalidated sections of the Canadian Criminal Code which criminalized most of the acts ancillary to exchanging sex for money. However, the court stayed the legal effect of their ruling pending appeals and review. In March 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to a hear a related appeal from British Columbia.

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Learn more about Canada and the laws governing prostitution from the JURIST news archive.

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