This is a thread I never wanted to start, but this is where we are at. From an abolitionist perspective this seems like a terrible ruling, but it might not be.
The Conservatives desperately need an issue they can champion to their base. They can't stall to use it as an election issue because they only have until December 2014 to act. Harper is not going to want his legacy to be legalizing prostitution so all hope is not lost.
Escort services and massage brothels have been operating throughout Canada for years and have only become more brazen. Police have been fighting a losing battle as the illegal trade expanded. Government after government has ignored the issue because it suits men in power to leave things as is despite rampant violence against women. Now it has to be addressed.
Without this opening it could have been decades before the Nordic Model would be considered. Now the slate has been wiped clean and the law has to be written from scratch. In my opinion Canadians have fallen for neoliberal theorizing and bastardized human rights language. We need to see this as a window of opportunity to challenge those arguments. It’s time to get our ducks in a row.
There are sure to be many articles analyzing the implications of the ruling from an abolitionist perspective. We could collect them here for discussion and future reference.