AEAC holds meet to oppose legislation
Local adult entertainment workers yesterday spoke out against proposed legislation to ban foreign strippers from working in Canada, citing discrimination against their trade.
Dozens of exotic dancers, city club owners and workers attended a meeting held by the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada (AEAC) at city hall last night — one of four the association is holding across Ontario to allow people in the industry to comment.
AEAC executive director Tim Lambrinos said Immigration Minister Diane Finley’s comments this week that the government was trying to protect vulnerable workers was degrading.
“This is a slight on the industry,” Lambrinos said. “That implies that these are degrading jobs. And this is an unfair generalization.”
“They think the job is degrading,” said ‘Cat,’ an exotic dancer at Bare Fax club, who declined to give her name. But the job is only degrading when the women don’t want to be there, she said.
The city’s adult entertainment industry would suffer if the legislation went forward, said Lambrinos. Pierre Brazeau, general manager of Ottawa’s NuDen Cabaret, agreed, saying fewer girls working the clubs would mean fewer customers.
“But it’s not just Ottawa. It’s all of Canada,” he said. “Everyone would be hurt.”
Toronto has lost a fifth of its clubs in the last four years, Lambrinos said, partly because demand can not be met.
“The industry would be affected,” agreed a Bare Fax dancer, who declined to give her name. “Variety is key. Not everyone likes the same look or the same style.”
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