Selling What No One Can Buy
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Selling What No One Can Buy by Carolyn Rebecca Mouland A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Laws Faculty of Law University of Toronto © Copyright by Carolyn Rebecca Mouland (2018) i Selling What No One Can Buy Carolyn Rebecca Mouland Master of Laws Faculty of Law University of Toronto 2018 Abstract Through legal process theory, this thesis examines Parliament’s deliberations leading up to the enactment of Bill C-36, which was introduced to govern the exchange of sexual services for consideration after the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision in Bedford v Canada. Grounded in legislative principles and functions, Part I’s “objective-perceptual” approach to legislative intent conceives of Parliament as an institution comprised of rational, reason-giving agents who must have a reasoned apprehension to legislate. Part II evaluates the evidence, argument, and participation at Committee Hearings to demonstrate that Parliament’s democratic, legal, and institutional legitimacy deteriorated from misapprehending polls, social science, and testimony. After analyzing Bill C-36’s Preamble and legislative objectives at Part III’s outset, the connection between the form and content of law is illustrated by arguing that s 213(1.1) of the Criminal Code has an invalid purpose, which in turn shows the inextricable link between rationality and legitimacy. ii Acknowledgements To my supervisor, Professor Hamish Stewart, I am grateful for your guidance, patience, and time. Thank you for seeing potential in my ideas and for asking provocative questions to shape and strengthen my arguments into intriguing directions. Your creative and cogent scholarship is a spring of knowledge and source of inspiration for me. I am also inspired by the kind, brilliant people at the Faculty of Law who build the flourishing academic and social community. Many thanks to the faculty, staff, and students who continue to enrich my life in Toronto, especially the Graduate Program Team, the GLSA, the David Asper Centre, and the Bora Laskin Law Library. I also appreciate the fruitful discussions and exciting opportunities with colleagues and mentors at the bar back on the East Coast, as well as in Ontario. To my friends and family whose love and support has helped me strive towards my goals, I am forever indebted. Thank you to my sister, Charity, for being my confidante and best friend; to my grandparents for your sacrifices and stories; and to my parents for fostering the joy of reading and for always believing in my abilities. I am eternally grateful to my late Pop Tulk for demonstrating the unique value of self-directed learning. Your steady hands, curious mind, and open heart will always keep me anchored and afloat. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... iv Part I: Context and Theory ............................................................................................................ 1 A. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 i) Bedford v Canada .............................................................................................................................................. 4 ii) Legitimacy Defined: Democratic, Legal, Institutional ..................................................................................... 9 iii) Deference Defined: Institutional Attitude and Action ................................................................................... 12 B. Functions and Principles of the Legislative Process ........................................................ 15 i) Parliament’s Functions: Deliberating, Legislating, Accounting ...................................................................... 15 ii) Legislative Principles: Explicit Lawmaking and Publicity............................................................................. 17 C. Evaluating the Legislative Process: The Reasoned Apprehension ................................. 24 i) Jurisprudential Norms ...................................................................................................................................... 24 ii) Executive and Legislative Norms ................................................................................................................... 29 D. Parliament Personified....................................................................................................... 37 i) An Objective-Perceptual Approach ................................................................................................................. 37 ii) Three Modes of Practical Reasoning: Evidentiary, Technical, and Moral ..................................................... 49 Part II: Factual Apprehensions .................................................................................................. 57 A. Anatomizing the Evidence: Social, Legislative, and Adjudicative Facts....................... 61 i) Key Factual Findings in Bedford ..................................................................................................................... 61 ii) Changing Litigation Dynamics ....................................................................................................................... 66 B. The Online Consultation .................................................................................................... 73 ii) Untimely Disclosure ....................................................................................................................................... 75 iii) Flawed Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 80 C. Social Science Evidence in Parliament ............................................................................. 93 i) Age of Entry ..................................................................................................................................................... 95 ii) Location and Jurisdiction of Transactions ...................................................................................................... 97 iii) Adverting to the New Advertising Offence ................................................................................................. 104 D. Beyond Bedford: New Perspectives ................................................................................. 117 iv i) Limits of Public Interest Standing and Intervention ...................................................................................... 117 ii) Ethnic and Cultural Minorities ..................................................................................................................... 121 iii) Purchasers .................................................................................................................................................... 123 iv) Non-Binary Transactions ............................................................................................................................. 128 Part III: Legal Misapprehensions ............................................................................................. 134 A. Statutory Interpretation .................................................................................................. 135 i) Preamble ........................................................................................................................................................ 135 ii) Bill C-36’s Objective(s): One or Two?......................................................................................................... 143 B. Section 213 (1.1) of the Criminal Code ............................................................................ 152 i) Amendments .................................................................................................................................................. 152 ii) Potential Purposes ......................................................................................................................................... 156 iii) The Purpose Test ......................................................................................................................................... 171 C. Complexities of Criminal Liability ................................................................................. 189 D. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 194 Appendix: Coding Scheme ................................................................................................... 197 v Selling What No One Can Buy Part I: Context and Theory A. Introduction The evidence, argument, and participation culminating into the Criminal Code’s recent proscriptions on sexual services are the subject of this project. The setting is the interval from the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Bedford v Canada (AG)1 until Parliament’s legislative response entered into force. Using evidence of the words spoken on the record at Parliament, I argue that Parliament struggled to rationally debate about converting the Government’s policy into law, and in turn Parliament’s legitimacy deteriorated. Theoretically, I connect rationality