Not-for-profit groups that advocate for those in the sex industry are divided in their response to the federal government's proposed new prostitution bill.
Some say sex workers aren't adequately protected by Bill C-36, but others say those concerns are a luxury for people who choose to work in the sex industry, not those forced into it.
The proposed law is the government's answer to a Supreme Court decision last year that found the existing laws violated the Charter rights of sex workers because it placed them in peril.
The new bill criminalizes pimps and johns and only allows the sale of sex or related business if it's not part of an exploitative relationship.
The Senate is holding hearings this week into the bill, which the government hopes to pass by the end of the year.
A coalition of women's groups is expected to outline its position at a press conference later today.
