The Canadian Grand Prix Drives Montreal’s Sex Industry
Before the Grand Prix races, the Concertation des luttes contre l’exploitation sexuelle (La CLES), a feminist community organization, launched its “Un Trop Grand Prix” sexual exploitation awareness campaign. This campaign is in its 12th year.
The campaign is in partnership with the “Un Trop Grand Prix” committee. Zéro Exploitation held an information booth at the Montmorency metro station. Prévention Jeunesse Longueuil distributed posters to youth organizations on the South Shore. The YWCA published new campaign content on the campaign website: untropgrandprix.com.
In a press release, La CLES stated this year’s campaign is to “remind people that the purchase of sexual acts is a criminal act in Canada.”
In 2014, the federal government enacted the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, making it illegal to purchase sexual acts, while giving immunity to those who sell their own sexual services.
“Whenever you have big events and you have them in big urban areas, a situation where there's a concentration of people, prostitution goes up. The pimps see that as an opportunity to make more money,” said Jennie-Laure Sully, a Community Organizer for La CLES.
Sully said the sex work industry is an industry “built on sexual exploitation.”
“They're a group that relies [on] and pushes for the use of criminal laws and the use of the carceral system to address violence against women. They assume that all sex work in and of itself is violent,” said Jenn Clamen, the Mobilization and Communications Coordinator at Stella, while referring to La CLES.
Stella is an organization run by and for sex workers. Clamen added, “They make no distinction between sex work and exploitation of all kinds.”
In an email response, the SPVM said their officers are extra vigilant during major international events, including the Grand Prix. They said, “When the metropolis welcomes large numbers of visitors, the SPVM pays particular attention to the demand for sexual services from minors.”
La CLES works with women who have been involved in the sex industry. Sully said pimps are trying to recruit younger women, “They're asking those women who consider themselves survivors if they could, you know, give them a name of a younger friend.”
Outside of their awareness campaign, Sully said that La CLES is an abolitionist organization: “We want to abolish prostitution.”
While the sex work industry is still active, Sully said La CLES plans to continue their awareness campaign past the Grand Prix weekend: “Beyond the Grand Prix, we're going to make sure that the voices of survivors are heard.” La CLES plans to release a podcast over the summer.
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