Destigmatization
Consenting adults offer and receive this service every day, across Quebec. The shame imposed by silence feeds isolation, precarity and violence. Naming the reality is itself a form of protection.
Destigmatization · Decriminalization · Dignity
Consent is not a crime.
ASMEQ represents Quebec’s erotic massage parlours and the people who work in them freely. We advocate for decriminalization, rigorous regulation and equal rights — and against every form of exploitation, coercion or human trafficking.
What we stand for
Three pillars, one conviction
A service that has always existed deserves to be regulated, not denied. Driving it underground protects no one; recognizing it protects everyone.
Decriminalization
Criminalizing the client pushes the work into the shadows. We call for the repeal of Bill C-36 and for a legal framework in which working no longer means fearing the police — it means being able to call them.
Regulation
Age verification, explicit consent, health monitoring, operating permits: clear standards so that every parlour is a safe place — and every person who works there has the same rights as any other worker.
A clear line
Consent changes everything
Confusing freely chosen work with exploitation harms both causes. We defend one and fight the other — without ambiguity.
We defend
- The right of consenting adults to offer an erotic service legally and safely
- Workers’ access to social protections: declared income, mortgages, retirement savings, public health insurance
- Licensed, inspected parlours that comply with public health standards
- The freedom to report abuse to the police without fear of being criminalized oneself
We fight
- Human trafficking and every form of coercion, without exception
- Any involvement of minors — zero tolerance
- The financial exploitation of workers by third parties
- Laws that, by criminalizing consent, make exploitation harder to detect
2013
The Bedford ruling: the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously strikes down the main provisions criminalizing prostitution, finding them contrary to the security of the person
2014
Bill C-36 is adopted, introducing demand-side criminalization — recreating the very dangers Bedford had just condemned
2003
New Zealand decriminalizes sex work and regulates it through public health — a recognized model
“You do not protect vulnerable people by criminalizing consenting ones. You protect them by giving every person the right to say no — and the right to say yes.”— ASMEQ, statement of principles
Media
ASMEQ in the public arena
Since the Montreal mobilization against the blanket closure of massage parlours, ASMEQ has made the case for intelligent regulation. Our television appearances and interviews are gathered in our media section.
Coming soon
Archives
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is ASMEQ?
ASMEQ (Association des Salons de Massage Érotique du Québec — the Quebec Association of Erotic Massage Parlours) is an association that advocates for the destigmatization and decriminalization of erotic massage work in Quebec. It calls for a clear regulatory framework — age and consent verification, health and safety standards — so that workers can practise legally, declare their income and access the same social protections as any other citizen.
Does ASMEQ oppose Bill C-36?
Yes. ASMEQ opposes the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (Bill C-36, 2014), which criminalizes the purchase of sexual services. By pushing the activity underground, the law makes the work more dangerous, isolates the people who do it by choice and undermines the fight against genuine exploitation. ASMEQ advocates instead for decriminalization and protective regulation.
Does ASMEQ tolerate exploitation or human trafficking?
No — never. ASMEQ draws a bright line between work freely consented to by adults and exploitation. It unreservedly supports the prosecution of human trafficking, coercion and any involvement of minors, and maintains that decriminalizing consensual work is precisely what strengthens the ability of authorities to target the real criminals.
Be part of the solution
Whether you are a parlour owner, a worker, a researcher, a journalist or a concerned citizen — intelligent regulation is something we build together.