Conservatives say escorts good, prostitution bad

Ok, this is just plain weird.

I note it's only a draft -- my guess is it's an example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. But regardless, advertising escort work at a job bank???
 
Richard J. Brennan      
Ottawa Bureau     
 
OTTAWA—The Conservative government wants to help unemployed Canadians find careers as strippers and for-hire escorts.

According to a draft Oct. 1 memo obtained by the Star, Ottawa has determined these careers once considered "morally offensive" should be put on the federal government's Job Bank, which is also available for use by the provinces.

The surprise memo from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has set a few tongues wagging among those wondering how these careers suddenly became respectable, and how Conservatives could allow this to happen.

"This is such a contradiction for the holier than thou family values gang to all of a sudden endorse an escort service as a legitimate occupation for unemployed Canadian women," NDP MP Pat Martin said.

Terri-Jean Bedford, the dominatrix who went to court and got Canada's prostitution laws thrown out, said these are legitimate occupations and "it's high time that people stop being so judgmental about another person's occupation."

"There are a lot of unsavory occupations that I would never apply for. Soldier being one of them and politician probably being another," Bedford said.

The job posting change is at odds with the Conservatives' outrage over the recent federal court decision stating that Canada's prostitution violated the Constitution. The government immediately appealed the decision, saying "prostitution is a problem that harms individuals and communities."

"This is appalling activity by our government because what they are really doing is promoting the subjugation of woman for the most part," Charles McVety, the president of Canadian Christian College, told the Star.

"It is also hypocritical that this would this would be done under a Conservative government," he said.

The draft policy, which has yet to be implemented, stated that the following occupations will "be acceptable for posting on Job Bank":

• Exotic dancer, erotic dancer, nude dancer, striptease dancer and table dancer.

• Escort, chat line agent, phone agent for personal services and telephone agent for personal services.

Many of these occupations in a 2003 memo from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRDC) were described as being "morally offensive by the majority of Canadians."