联邦最高法院将对禁止卖淫法条是否违宪案开庭审理。8日在温市与全国其他五城市，有性工作者与支持弱势妇权人士串联游行抗议，呼吁将卖淫除罪化，以免性工作者只会面对更多的危险与暴力。

另外，数十名性工作者及他们的支持者8日下午在多伦多市中心举行示威游行，呼吁娼妓合法化。他们预备在联邦最高法院预定下周针对加拿大未来的娼妓法举行公听会之前，在加拿大各地举行数场示威游行。

这些示威游行群众挥舞着红色雨伞，高喊「性工作是真正的工作，立时合法化！」

这宗审案显示，从事性工作有关妇女的团体看法也严重分歧，有的团体努力争取娼妓合法化，但另一方面有的说娼妓必须维持在禁止之列。

# Sex workers, supporters march ahead of Supreme Court hearing

Ahead of next week's anticipated Supreme Court of Canada hearing into the future of Canada’s prostitution laws, dozens of sex workers and their supporters marched through the streets of downtown Toronto Saturday afternoon, calling for decriminalization of prostitution.

The march, one of several rallies scheduled across Canada this weekend, was attended by Terry-Jean Bedford, one of three women involved in the legal challenge.

"These women actually have a beating heart," she told CP24. "All they want to do is feed their families….The Brady Bunch is not the norm," the retired dominatrix said.

Bedford told the crowd that the outcome of next week’s hearing doesn’t just affect sex trade workers. “This is about every Canadian who enjoys their right to privacy,” she said.

"The government’s coming in through the back door and they’re going to tell you what you can and cannot do in the privacy of your home with another consenting adult -- for money or not."

Protesters in Toronto carried red umbrellas and chanted: "Sex work is real work, decriminalize now."

A sex worker, who identified herself as "Shalimar" told The Canadian Press that Canada's prostitution laws are hypocritical given that sexual activity is essentially tolerated but that the sex trade industry has been outlawed.

"Why are they morally pushed in on us?" she asked.

Next week's hearing stems from an Ontario Court of Appeal decision that struck down the Criminal Code ban on brothels but upheld a ban on the communication for the purposes of prostitution – effectively making street prostitution illegal.

Prostitution is not illegal in Canada however many of the activities surrounding it are banned under the three sections of the Criminal Code.

The Ontario case revealed a deep division among groups that work with women in the sex trade. Some groups are fighting for a form of legalizations, while others say prostitution must remain illegal. Nearly two dozen organizations are to present their arguments to the high court on Thursday.

The case involves three women: Bedford, former prostitute Valerie Scott and Vancouver sex worker Amy Lebovitch. They argue that the laws related to prostitution violate the charter.

Bedford said she hopes Canada's prostitution laws will be changed and the Criminal Code amended.

Marches were planned for six cities across Canada, including Ottawa, Vancouver and in Montreal where sex workers have been the focus of recent media attention because of this weekend’s Grand Prix Formula One race.

The week leading up the racing event is typically one of the sex trade industry's busiest time of the year.

According to advocates for decriminalization of prostitution, Montreal sex trade workers are vulnerable to violence as prostitution has been pushed to isolated areas of the city.