It's not known how many people work in the Canadian sex industry. A 2006 parliamentary sub-committee on solicitation reported that because the industry takes place behind closed doors, it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of its scope.

In Sex Workers in the Maritimes Talk Back, prostitutes complain about being stereotyped as having "high-risk lifestyles," worry about the daily potential of violence they face, and praise the independence of their chosen profession.

While legislators debate what should be done to control the sex trade, the workers themselves are explicit about what they want, says Jeffrey, an associate professor of history and politics at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. The clearest answer is: "look, we just want a safe place to work," Jeffrey said.

The independence and money are reasons why sex workers resist policy responses that argue they need to be rescued and trained in better jobs, according to Jeffrey. "The sex workers say, "Hold on. I've had those better jobs and what you people are missing is they're not so viable, either.'"

Lisa Gibson, coordinator of Vancouver's Living in Community - a two-year project dealing with the sex trade and its impact on Vancouver neighborhoods - cautioned that despite their talk of independence that not all sex workers have great jobs. "There's lots of exploitation that happens. There are always people working in slave-like conditions."

While some individuals may find sex work a healthy career choice, Gibson said others end up working on the street as a way to fund an addiction. "Serial killers tend to go look at those really vulnerable people because they're a kind of throw-away people in our society."

The federal Report of the Subcommittee on Solicitation cited the disappearances and murders of prostitutes in Vancouver and Edmonton, but noted that such violence isn't new nor confined to just those cities. Between 1994 and 2003, at least 79 prostitutes were murdered, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

The Daily News, Canada