Technical Paper: Bill C-36, An Act to amend the Criminal Code in response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford and the make consequential amendments to other Acts (Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act)

This paper provides an overview of the Supreme Court of Canada's findings in its December 20, 2013 Bedford decisions and explains the basis for the Government's legislative response: Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which received Royal Assent on November 6, 2014 (S.C. 2014, c.25).

In Bedford, the Supreme Court of Canada declared unconstitutional three Criminal Code offences addressing prostitution-related conduct on the basis that they violated section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the “Charter”). Section 7 protects the rights to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

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Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 18:16 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 18:16 (UTC)
contact_email	OG-GO@justice.gc.ca
criticality_level	["general_public", "government", "media", "women", "youth"]
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	publication
open_canada_date_modified	2014-12-01 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published	2014-09-19 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"fr": ["Ministère de la Justice", "Accès à l'information", "Système de justice canadien", "Droit pénal", "Réforme du droit de la prostitution", "Justice Canada Publications", "lois et règlements", "Charte des droits et libertés"], "en": ["Department of Justice", "Access to Information", "Canada's System of Justice", "Criminal law", "Prostitution Law Reform", "Justice Canada Publications", "Laws and Regulations", "Charter of Rights and Freedoms"]}
open_canada_subject	["law", "persons", "processes", "society_and_culture"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Document Technique : Projet de loi C-36, Loi modifiant le Code criminel pour donner suite à la décision de la Cour suprême du Canada dans l'affiaire Procureur général du Canada c. Bedford et apportant des modifications à d’autres lois en conséquence (Loi sur la protection des collectivités et des personnes victimes d'exploitation)
update_frequency	as_needed