{"id":24074,"date":"2024-07-22T14:38:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T18:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/?post_type=case_summary&#038;p=24074"},"modified":"2026-04-30T12:44:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:44:26","slug":"r-v-kloubakov","status":"publish","type":"case_summary","link":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/r-v-kloubakov\/","title":{"rendered":"R. v. Kloubakov (2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This case was about the constitutionality of several <em>Criminal Code<\/em> sex work provisions relating to third parties. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Facts<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2014, Parliament passed the&nbsp;<em>Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act<\/em>&nbsp;(PCEPA). PCEPA established Canada\u2019s current sex work laws after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the previous sex work laws in&nbsp;<em>Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford<\/em>&nbsp;for violating sex workers\u2019&nbsp;<em>Charter<\/em>&nbsp;rights. The implementation of PCEPA not only criminalized clients, but criminalized the purchase and exchange of sex work for consideration (such as money) for the first time in Canada.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The appellants in&nbsp;<em>Kloubakov&nbsp;<\/em>are non-sex worker third parties who are challenging only the provisions related to procuring and material benefitting from sexual services, alleging violations of the s.7 (life, liberty, and security of the person) rights of sex workers. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arguments<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF argued that the analysis of the s.7 rights of sex workers must be informed by the principles of substantive equality, as guaranteed under s.15 of the Charter. LEAF emphasized the importance of taking an intersectional, substantive equality-based analysis when assessing the impact of these provisions on the liberty and security of sex workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF further submitted that the impact of the challenged provisions must be understood as part of the larger <em>PCEPA <\/em>scheme and its impact on sex workers. The principles of substantive equality must inform any interpretation of the legislation&rsquo;s objectives. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Outcome<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments in this case on November 12-13, 2024. On July 24, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal. In a unanimous decision, the Court found that the scope of the material benefit and procuring offences does not prohibit sex workers from imposing safety measures, including hiring drivers or security personnel under certain conditions. Therefore, the Court found that the provisions do not engage sex workers\u2019 security of the person. The Court declined to consider sex workers\u2019 right to life and liberty fully, noting that the appellants only raised them briefly and that both issues are raised \u201cmore squarely\u201d in the <em>Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform <\/em>appeal (in which LEAF is also an intervener).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download LEAF\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/41017-Factum-of-the-Intervener-Womens-Legal-Education-and-Action-Fund-Suitable-for-Posting.pdf\">factum<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF is grateful to Andrea Gonsalves, Olivia Eng, and Alexandra Heine of Stockwoods LLP, counsel for LEAF in this case. LEAF\u2019s interventions are guided, informed and supported by a case committee with expertise in the relevant issues.&nbsp;LEAF thanks the expert members of the case committee that are helping to shape this intervention: Gillian Calder, Julie Kaye, Ummni Khan, and Kate Shannon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24074","case_summary","type-case_summary","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>R. v. 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