The verdict came down...

...and so did Canada's prostitution laws (well, not for another year).

The Supreme Court of Canada's judgment can be found here.

Parliament now has one year to come up with a new means of regulating Canada's sex trade. In the meantime, the status quo will be maintained, unfortunately.

It is hoped that, in their effort to come up with a constitutionally sound means of regulating sex work, Parliamentarians will seek and throughly consider input from stakeholders from all corners of the ring.

If you are a stakeholder interested in learning what options are available to you, then please feel free to contact my office.

I will be reading and considering this judgment. Future posts will explain the impact of the Bedford decision and consider what considerations should be at the forefront of lawmakers' minds as they get to work on this very important job. All three levels of court found that present laws endanger the lives of those in the sex-trade. Whatever replaces these laws must regulate the industry without repeating past errors.

Judgment Day

Media have reported that the Supreme Court of Canada will render judgment in Bedford v. Canada on Friday December 20, 2013.

A link to the Supreme Court's bulletin announcing the imminent judgment can be found here. The Court's case summary can be found here.

Little needs to be said about the possible ramifications of this decision. It is possible that Parliament will be told to dramatically overhaul federal prostitution laws. The Court's practice ifs often to grant legislators 12 months to do so, in order to avoid the difficulties associated with a legal vacuum.

The writer will be in holiday-transit at that point. Check back here for updates once I have had a chance to review and consider the decision.