The Liberal partyâ??s youth wing proposes to treat the sex trade as any other business

[Mister T 45020]

From the [URL="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/01/15/chris-selley-trudeau-totally-untested-in-a-tough-policy-debate-and-prostitution-will-a-hard-one-to-start-with/"]National Post[/URL]

The Liberal Party of Canada has a self-styled change agent at the helm, and it must be somewhat exhilarating for the progressive rank and file. On marijuana policy, members were way ahead of their soon-to-be leader when they voted to endorse legalization two years ago. (At the time, Justin Trudeau struggled halfheartedly even to articulate a case for decriminalization.) At Februaryâ??s national Liberal convention in Montreal, members have a chance to get ahead of their leader on prostitution policy as well: A resolution from the partyâ??s youth wing proposes to treat (and tax) the sex trade just as it would â??any other commercial enterpriseâ? â?? a steakhouse, say, or a shoe store.

For Canada, it sounds unfeasibly revolutionary. But the pot and prostitution issues both partake of a widespread opinion that the status quo doesnâ??t work. In November, 2012, Angus Reid found just 8% of respondents willing to describe the War on Drugs as a â??success.â? Some months earlier, it found that 47% agreed current prostitution laws â??are unfair and force prostitutes into unsafe situations,â? whereas just 36% felt they are â??fair to the purpose of protecting the public good.â? Moreover, 67% agreed that â??providing sexual services to another person in return for payment â?¦ should be legal between consenting adults.â?

Mr. Trudeauâ??s marijuana legalization policy can fairly be criticized as a low and lonely priority, but the Supreme Courtâ??s recent ruling striking down existing prostitution laws obligates federal politicians to tackle it. With Justice Minister Peter MacKay calling for more study, Mr. Trudeau might have an opportunity here to strengthen his changey-wangey, boldy-woldy persona.

â??I think itâ??s good for us to continue to be bold,â? Justin Kaiser, a candidate for national president of the young Liberals, told The Canadian Press.

Maybe so. But boldness in a politician is only an attribute to the extent he really understands the issue heâ??s being bold about. And even on marijuana, thatâ??s somewhat an open question with Mr. Trudeau.

His pitch is logical enough: Weâ??re much better at keeping alcohol and tobacco away from children than we are at keeping marijuana away from children, so why not use the same regulatory approach? The problem is that it does nothing to counteract anyoneâ??s beliefs or suspicions that marijuana is far more dangerous or disreputable than alcohol or tobacco.

Mason Tvert, co-director of Coloradoâ??s successful pot-legalization campaign, argues itâ??s essential to counteract such beliefs before pitches like Mr. Trudeauâ??s can gain purchase. But itâ??s not 100% clear Mr. Trudeau even believes it himself. Heâ??s clearly comfortable enough with marijuana to have smoked it from time to time. But as recently as October, 2012, he was going on about his worries that it â??disconnects you a little bit from the worldâ? and is â??not great for your health.â? The Conservatives have been appealing directly to those sentiments with radio advertising, especially in socially conservative ethnic communities.

Whatever the polls say, prostitution is a vastly more complicated issue than pot. People donâ??t just debate the effects of prostitution, but what prostitution is: Some see it as legitimate commerce transacted by empowered women; others see it as violence, even slavery, by definition; and thereâ??s every opinion in between, none of which neatly correspond to party or ideological affiliations.

At first blush, the Swedish approach to the sex trade might seem marketable to timid Canadians: Itâ??s compassionate in that it does not punish prostitutes, but judgmental in that it punishes their clients. But adherents tend to underplay the risks inherent to forcing prostitution into the shadows â?? not just violence and exploitation but an inability to detect and prevent it. And the Angus Reid poll found far less support for Swedenâ??s approach (16%) than for New Zealandâ??s, which is outright legalization and is generally considered a success, though hardly a panacea.

Mr. Trudeauâ??s office â??neatly straddled the fenceâ? when asked about the prostitution resolution, CP reported. â??Ultimately, the government must respond [to the Supreme Court ruling] in a way that addresses both community safety and the security and safety of all those involved in the sex trade,â? said a spokesperson.

It doesnâ??t seem like a sustainable line. Surely Mr. Trudeau doesnâ??t trust a government he describes as troglodytic to craft a suitable solution to such a complex, delicate problem. Surely, with a one-year deadline from the Supreme Court looming, heâ??ll have something concrete to offer. But especially in light of his yet-to-be-tested marjiuana policy, one can understand his and his advisersâ?? reluctance. He has yet to face really tough policy debates, and this is an awfully difficult one to navigate with training wheels on.