Providing Sexual Services for Consideration in Canada is a Criminal Offence
Like everyone said above, discretely selling sexual services in Canada is not a problem but
receiving payment for services IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE since Harper gave us Bill C-36.
It's a technicality but that's all the law is. Both buyer and seller are committing a criminal offence. Harper helped sell the lie about not targeting workers by making the seller "immune to prosecution" but not "immune to the law".
286.2 (1) Everyone who receives a financial or other material benefit, knowing that it is obtained by or derived directly or indirectly from the commission of an offence under subsection 286.1(1), is guilty of an indictable offence ...
This law does not apply to selected third parties but sellers were only given immunity from prosecution. The criminalization still applies. Fortunately the police either don't realize this or they have chosen not to enforce such an ignorant law.
You can contrast the situation workers are in to the situation that selected third parties are in. Section 286.2(1) does not apply to selected third parties who knowingly benefit from the provision of sexual services for consideration. The landlord who charges a fair rent for what is known to be an incall is at no legal risk. At the same time the sex worker paying the rent is violating the Criminal Code by receiving a financial or other material benefit from the client, knowing that it is obtained by or derived directly or indirectly from the commission of an offence under subsection 286.1(1). 286.1(1) is the section that makes the client a criminal.
I will explain all the details if it will help people understand that the general, common and practical understanding of this is technically incorrect. In some years no one has offered any reasoned challenge of my understanding of this. I would be pleased to hear such a challenge.
It hasn't been a problem with the current Liberal government but if the Conservatives get in, and especially if a social conservative government gets in, there could be problems for sexual service providers. Providers are immune to prosecution but as they are still committing a criminal offence they can be investigated and arrested. It may even be possible to prosecute a worker for failing to cooperate with an investigation. As workers are engaged in a criminal activity they could lose housing, rights to government programs and custody of their children. I don't intend this as fear mongering but as a warning of the need to get the present law changed before we get a government that might use it to deliberately attack sex workers.