OTTAWA, Canada – Canadian politicians who secretly frequent prostitutes are quaking in their boots following a threat by retired dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford to make their identities public.
“If this law passes, I’m going to make you guys forget about [suspended and disgraced Canadian senator] Mike Duffy, because I’ve got more information and proof on politicians in this country than you can shake a stick at,” an angry Bedford said after she was kicked out of a Canadian Senate hearing about Bill C-36, a proposed “Nordic Model” law that would criminalize clients instead of sex workers “I promise.”
Bedford’s frustration is understandable, given the hostile reception she and other sex worker advocates faced from the Senate committee and an earlier House of Commons committee, both of which held rushed sessions. The committees are dominated by ruling Conservative party members, who have been dismissive of witnesses who don’t support the government’s political agenda. The agenda plays directly to the Conservatives’ right-wing Christian base, which is convinced sex workers are exploited victims who need to be saved.
Bedford’s threat raises the stakes in the C-36 political game. Although it is widely whispered among the escort community that a number of Conservative MPs have been and/or are sex worker clients, the prostitution profession’s rigid code of ethics has kept identities well protected.
However, the Conservatives’ ramrodding of C-36 through Parliament after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the old prostitution law as a threat to the safety of sex workers has angered many Canadian escorts. Although evidence exists that criminalizing clients simply adds to the dangers faced by prostitutes, especially those working the streets, sex workers’ legitimate concerns are ignored or ridiculed by the governing party. Therefor outing government members who patronize sex workers while supporting bill C-36 has become a hot topic among prostitutes.
“Many of my past clients have had public profiles,” Nikki Thomas, former Executive Director of the Sex Professionals of Canada, wrote on her blog. “I remember one enjoyable dinner date with a client where we talked about seeing each other on the same TV program on different nights and gave each other pointers for our future appearances. Some of my clients have been active in politics, either before, during or after the time I saw them.
“Although I can’t see myself ever ‘outing’ a past client for any reason, I can certainly understand where Terri-Jean is coming from,” she added.
