‘Victim’, ‘Deviant’, or ‘Worker’ but Nothing in Between: Revisiting Prostitution Discourse within Bedford v. Canada by Anita Chiang B.A. (Hons.), Mount Royal University, 2013 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Criminology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Anita Chiang 2015 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2015 Approval Name: Anita Chiang Degree: Master of Arts (Criminology) Title: ‘Victim’, ‘Deviant’, or ‘Worker’ but Nothing in Between: Revisiting Prostitution Discourse within the Bedford v. Canada Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Martin Andresen Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Programs David MacAlister, LLM Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Ted Palys Supervisor Professor Dr. Hayli Millar External Examiner Assistant Professor School of Criminology and Criminal Justice University of Fraser Valley Date Defended/Approved: November 10, 2015 ii Abstract Controversy around the concept of prostitution and appropriate social policy responses to it has long existed. Perspectives on prostitution constantly conflate with notions of human trafficking, exploitation, and victimization, thereby influencing our understanding of choice, consent, and violence. From 1990 until very recently, Canadian courts failed to address the criminalization of prostitution related activities despite the actual acts of prostitution remaining legal. This study attempts to address current understandings of prostitution through a discourse analysis of the evidence tendered before the three levels of court in the 2013 Ontario Bedford challenge to the constitutionality of prostitution related offences in Canada. Three dominant discourses were identified, namely a victim discourse, a deviant discourse, and a worker discourse, with each providing opposing views of how prostitution should be viewed and what the most appropriate policy response to it entails. Until prostitution discourses are re-inscribed to include the voices of sex workers, the dispute pertaining to prostitution will persist, while the implementation of a favourable solution will remain inhibited. Keywords: Bedford challenge; prostitution discourse; discourse analysis; prostitution related offences iii Dedication To the men, women, and transgender individuals involved in the sex industry, sex workers, and victims, including those who are no longer with us. iv Acknowledgements Apply the 2_Acknow_Normal style to paragraphs in your acknowledgements. If 1st-line indented paragraphs are desired, you may press [Tab] the beginning of each paragraph. v Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................. ii! Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii! Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iv! Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ v! Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vi! List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii! List of Figures ................................................................................................................. viii! Chapter 1.! Introduction ............................................................................................... 1! Chapter 2.! Laws and Discourses Explaining the Story of Prostitution .................. 7! 2.1.! A Historical Overview of Prostitution Law in Canada ............................................... 7! 2.2.! The Legislative Approaches to Prostitution ............................................................ 17! 2.2.1.! The Swedish Model/Nordic Model ............................................................ 17! 2.2.2.! Symmetrical Criminalization ...................................................................... 19! 2.2.3.! Decriminalization and Legalization ............................................................ 20! 2.3.! Former Discourses on Prostitution ......................................................................... 21! 2.4.! A Note on Terminology .......................................................................................... 26! Chapter 3.! Analytical Framework ............................................................................. 28! 3.1.! Research Objectives .............................................................................................. 31! 3.2.! A Discourse Analysis Approach ............................................................................. 32! 3.2.1.! Theoretical framework ............................................................................... 33! 3.3.! Coding Data ........................................................................................................... 34! 3.4.! Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................... 35! Chapter 4.! Discursive Findings ................................................................................ 37! 4.1.! The Experts ............................................................................................................ 37! 4.2.! Major Themes ........................................................................................................ 39! 4.2.1.! A victim in need of rescue ......................................................................... 41! The victim as constructed in the Bedford case ..................................................... 41! 4.2.2.! The deserving deviant ............................................................................... 50! A deserving deviant or a forgotten victim? ............................................................ 50! A victim rather than a deviant ......................................................................... 52! 4.2.3.! The work in sex work ................................................................................ 58! Sex work as a job in Canada ................................................................................ 59! 4.3.! Contending Identities in the Face of the Law ......................................................... 65! Chapter 5.! The Application of the Victim, the Deviant, and the Worker Identity ..................................................................................................... 72! 5.1.! As a Victim, Deviant, and Worker before the Ontario Court of Appeal .................. 74! vi 5.1.1.! The Impact of Prostitution Discourses on the Law: The Ontario Court of Appeal’s Decision ....................................................................... 81! 5.2.! The Portrayal of the Victim, Deviant, and Worker before the Supreme Court of Canada .............................................................................................................. 85! 5.2.1.! The Final Determination: The Supreme Court’s Interpretation ................. 92! Chapter 6.! Discussion and Conclusion ................................................................... 95! 6.1.! The Canadian Approach to Selling and Buying Sex .............................................. 95! 6.2.! Disregarding the ‘Worker’ and Acknowledging the ‘Victim’ and ‘Deviant’ ............ 102! 6.3.! Limitations ............................................................................................................ 106! 6.4.! Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 106! References ................................................................................................................ 108! ! vii List of Tables Table 3.1.! Affiants and Interveners Categorized .......................................................... 30! Table 3.2! Categorization of Interveners by court and side of dispute .......................... 36! Table 4.1.! Classification of Intervener’s and Main Expert’s Resolution on Prostitution .............................................................................................. 38! Table 4.2! Summary of discourses presented in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ..................................................................................................... 69! Table 5.1! Coded themes from the Ontario Court of Appeal ......................................... 73! Table 5.2! Coded themes from the Supreme Court of Canada .................................... 73! List of Figures Figure 4.1.! Initial major themes coded from trial court documents .............................. 39! Figure 4.2.! Additional themes coded from trial court documents ................................. 40! viii Chapter 1. Introduction Prostitution has come to be known as the exchange of services involving direct sexual contact for money and other considerations, including food, shelter, and clothing- essentially anything that could be asked for in exchange for sexual services (Betteridge, 2005). The commercial exchange of sex is a highly contested legal issue on an international level, affecting people worldwide. On a global scale, prostitution issues are simultaneously being explored in nations including but not limited to Britain (Kantola