CANADA — Bill C-57, currently before the country’s House of Commons, would allow immigration officers to reject foreign workers deemed to be at risk of being sexually exploited, humiliated, or degraded in the country. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley has tabled the bill for the time being.Canada’s strippers/club owners association, The Adult Entertainment Association of Canada is actively opposing the bill and has proposed a number of amendments it says will protect women from exploitation without stopping them from working.

The recommendations include barring agents from applying for work permits on behalf of foreign dancers, educating foreign workers in their home countries about the adult entertainment industry in Canada, allowing foreign dancers to be eligible for re-entry visas, and allowing them to work only in accredited, industry recognized facilities to prevent abuse.

“I would say that we are in agreement that nobody disputes that we should be avoiding exploitation,” said Tim Lambrinos, executive director of the AEAC. “Nobody disputes that we should be avoiding human trafficking. However, not at the expense of legitimate club owners.”

In an interview with the local media, Lambrinos alleged exotic dancers are being unfairly picked on as bill C-57 doesn’t take into consideration other jobs being filled by migrant workers in Canada.

“How many fruit pickers and farm workers are subjected to degrading and humiliating conditions on a daily basis, working in huts with no ventilation and getting blisters in bunk beds? Why is it that a few hundred exotic dancers are being criticized?” he asked.

Last week, Lambrinos unveiled the recommendations at an event at Ottawa City Hall. About 100 exotic dancers were present and raised concerns about being labeled as prostitutes and criminals by the media and government.

Foreign dancers in Canada, who earn an estimated starting wage of $12 per hour, come from former communist countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Lambrinos said for years the industry has faced a shortage of exotic dancers from Canada because Canadian women generally have a negative attitude towards the job.

The problem isn’t as big in Ontario, however, as women from Quebec fill the labor gap.

“Québecois women, French-Canadian women, are not uptight about the job of exotic dancing, therefore, there’s not a shortage,” said Lambrinos. “But the further you get away from the Quebec border, the higher the demand.”

Under current laws, employers have to prove that there is a shortage of Canadian strippers before their applications to let foreign dancers come over can be approved.

Peter Rekai, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, said there are no figures on how many foreign dancers are exploited, but added that, generally, only those illegally in the country are abused.

“Contrary to popular opinion, bill C-57 does not ban foreign dancers, but gives the immigration minister the discretion to deny entry visas to those working in an industry thought to be exploitative”, said Liberal Citizenship and Immigration critic Omar Alghabra.

“That’s what I thought was misleading about it,” said Alghabra. “As it stands now, it is an incomplete, flawed bill, and I believe whole-heartedly that it was politically motivated and that’s why I called it a cheap stunt.”

“I am a proud Hungarian, but I’m working in Canada and I love this country,” said Margaret, who has stripped in Toronto clubs for seven years. “All I really want is the chance to make myself a better life. This new law is unfair.”