Feds change the rules

[Kip Powick]

Thank goodness this has been finally been enacted. This has been at the top of my "things the government should change as soon as possible" list for years now.

OTTAWA (Reuters) -- Canada will start denying work permits to foreign strippers to prevent them from being abused and to clamp down on human trafficking, Immigration Minister Diane Finley said on Wednesday.

Laws will be changed to allow immigration officers to deny work permits to foreign strippers if authorities believe there is a strong possibility they could be subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment, including sexual exploitation.

"This will prevent situations where temporary workers in Canada, including strippers, may be abused, exploited or possibly become victims of human trafficking," Finley said in a statement.

In December 2004, the then-Liberal government scrapped a program that handed out temporary work permits to foreign-born exotic dancers.

The immigration minister at the time had been accused of giving preferential treatment to a Romanian stripper.

"The previous Liberal government gave blanket exceptions to foreign strippers to work in Canada despite warnings that they were vulnerable to forced prostitution and other exploitation," Finley told Parliament.

"Thanks to today's amendments, the good old days of Liberal 'strippergate' will be a thing of the past."

[Flapsforty]

They have gone too far! Get back to important issues, like who should be captain of our national hockey team!

Cheers

[zipped]

Any topic except GLOBAL WARMING will do for me. But the poors girls were just trying to make a living. If they had a union this wouldn't happen.

[deicer]

It's discrimination. Stripping is a legal profession in this country!

Maybe they should look deeper at Harper's slander suits.

Iceman

[chockalicious]

Does this mean the end of the sexy Ukrainian accent at The Brass Rail?

In all seriousness I think this is a good step. The sleaze/crime/drugs that surrounds this industry is huge. I feel bad that these girls are doing whatever they can to make a better life for themselves but the garbage associated with it is not worth it IMO.

[Fido]

I doubt that this action will mean much to curb anything illegal.

The crime before was the cozy cuddling that was being done between the Immigration Minister, her Office, her constituency people and the owners of these sex-trade businesses.

[Guest rattler]

I doubt that this action will mean much to curb anything illegal.

The crime before was the cozy cuddling that was being done between the Immigration Minister, her Office, her constituency people and the owners of these sex-trade businesses.

Don't be too sure of that.

Here is what our government had to say on the subject back in 2003

http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/pubspr/06626...53351_12_e.html

In part the report said

The deception of the women who were brought to Canada for the sex trade was a theme which surfaced in an overwhelming number of interviews. Various deceptions in relation to employment in Canada and about certain aspects of the sex industry were consistently mentioned. Distinctions were often made between the women who knew what they would be doing when they arrived and those who did not know they would be involved in the sex industry. The deception of those who were not aware included:

not knowing they'd have as much competition in the job market;

 

being told the money they make will be sent home for them; and

 

being told they'd be doing different jobs when coming to Canada such as waitress, maid, model, singer/entertainer and professional dancer. 

The women who knew they were going to be involved in the sex trade were deceived in different ways:

glamorizing the lifestyle;

 

being told about the large amount of money to be made in the industry;

 

being told they would only be stripping (sex acts not included); and

 

misled about the laws (i.e., being told that prostitution is not illegal).