Sex workers from Montreal agreed to confide in 24 hours about their reality during the Grand Prix which, due to strong competition between escorts and inflation, would be a “less paying” weekend.
Laurie has been a sex worker for five years in the metropolis. During the Grand Prix, she observed that customer demand was not there.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an absolutely dead weekend, but it’s comparable to a January,” she says.
Laurie decided to speak to us openly to change the image of this profession of which she is proud, even if the purchase of sexual services has been illegal in Canada since 2014.
According to her, a myth surrounds the Grand Prix, which explains why sex workers from all over Canada come to Montreal thinking they will make money.
Competition and inflation
However, there are too many offers and not enough customers in town, according to Laurie. Demand would also fall due to inflation. Customers are trying to negotiate more often than before. “At least one in three clients negotiates,” she says.
Photo Axel Tardieu / 24 hours
Mélodie, independent sex worker for two years.
Like other escorts interviewed by 24 hoursLaurie believes that the media coverage of sex work during the Grand Prix makes it seem like a paid weekend.
Still no customers
Mélodie, an independent sex worker for two years, still didn’t have a reservation [jeudi] in preparation for the weekend. According to the Montrealer, it is the sign of an environment in transformation.
“With the economic crisis, you no longer make money in this profession,” explains Mélodie. Three other independent escorts shared the same observation at 24 hours.
Laura, who has been in the business for eight years, says some escorts will even avoid the period. “We find everything that is most cliché: a lot of partyconsumption, situations which mean that we do not like this profession in this period,” she explains.
Young regional women
In the regions, organizations helping young women exit the sex industry feel the attraction of the Grand Prix every year.
“We really see an increase in the recruitment of young minors before the Grand Prix,” explains Kelly Laramée, psychosocial worker at CALACS Agression Estrie.
“Sometimes, some girls we have in our services leave the region to go to Montreal during this weekend because we see an increase in demand for young girls.”
According to the Stella organization, which campaigns to improve the conditions of sex workers, there was “extremely violent” police repression during the Grand Prix.
Photo Axel Tardieu / 24 hours
Sandra Wesley, executive director of the Stella organization.
“The majority of sex workers in the city are visited by the police during this weekend. It can be very violent on a physical level, on a psychological level,” says the organization’s general director, Sandra Wesley.
Awareness campaigns and police presence are more important during the Grand Prix, especially to fight against sexual exploitation.
During the next weekend, as during the rest of the year, the public is even invited by the police to be vigilant, particularly around hotels in the city center.
