Our Mission
Destigmatize. Decriminalize. Regulate. ASMEQ defends the dignity, health and rights of people who freely work in erotic massage parlours — and relentlessly fights those who exploit.
An association born of a public debate
ASMEQ was not born in an office. It was born on television, in the newspapers and in the meeting rooms of the City of Montreal, at a moment when an entire sector risked disappearing without distinction.
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2010s — The crisis
Montreal considers shutting everything down
Under media pressure surrounding allegations of trafficking and the exploitation of minors, the municipal administration considers closing every massage parlour in the city — legitimate establishments and criminal fronts alike, without distinction.
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The mobilization
The industry speaks up
Voices from the sector, including the management of established parlours such as La Montréalaise, agree to step out of the shadows and speak publicly on television and in the media. Their message: conflating parlours run by consenting adults with criminal networks punishes the former and lets the latter escape.
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The turnaround
The City changes course
The dialogue pays off: rather than a blanket shutdown, the City chooses to target only establishments linked to human trafficking, the involvement of minors and organized crime. Legitimate parlours continue operating.
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The founding
ASMEQ is created
To make that dialogue permanent and give the sector a structured voice, the Association des Salons de Massage Érotique du Québec is founded. Its mandate: represent responsible establishments, defend the people who work in them freely, and collaborate with the authorities against exploitation.
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Today
The relaunch
The association is returning to the public and media arena. The debate over Bill C-36 and the regulation of sex work in Canada is more current than ever — and Quebec deserves to hear a measured, documented voice that comes from the field.
Facing reality squarely
Erotic massage between consenting adults exists. It has always existed, in every society, under every legal regime. The only question a serious society faces is not "how do we make it disappear?" — a century of prohibition has proven that does not work — but "how do we ensure it happens without victims?"
Our answer rests on one simple, non-negotiable distinction: consent. Adults who freely choose to offer this service deserve the same rights, the same safety and the same respect as any other worker. People who are coerced, manipulated or underage are victims — and those who exploit them are criminals who must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Clandestinity is the exploiter’s best friend. When the work is criminalized, the people who do it can neither declare their income, nor report a dangerous client, nor testify against a trafficker without incriminating themselves. Every year spent under the current regime is a year in which victims remain invisible.
Recognition, by contrast, opens the door to full economic citizenship: declared income, a mortgage, a retirement fund, health insurance, police protection. That — concretely — is what dignity means.
We respect the sincerity of those who want all sex work abolished; many are moved by genuine compassion. But we oppose abolitionism, for reasons the evidence supports:
- Criminalization has never eliminated the practice — it has only displaced it to more isolated, more dangerous places, as the Supreme Court found in Bedford (2013).
- It strips police protection from the very people who need it most: you do not call the police when your livelihood is a crime.
- It conflates victims with free adults, scattering investigative resources instead of concentrating them on real trafficking.
- The international experience is telling: New Zealand, which decriminalized and regulated in 2003, saw none of the predicted explosion — but did see workers cooperate more with police.
Five commitments
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Dignity
Every person who does this work freely deserves respect — without imposed shame or state moralizing. Dignity is not earned: it is recognized.
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Safety
Safe workplaces, the right to refuse any client, emergency protocols and fearless access to law enforcement. Safety is the first standard, before all others.
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Transparency
Licensed, inspected establishments with verifiable books. Transparency is what separates a responsible parlour from a criminal front.
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Solidarity
With workers first — but also with victims of exploitation, whose protection requires that we stop criminalizing the very people who could testify.
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Accountability
Zero tolerance for trafficking, coercion and the involvement of minors. An ASMEQ member commits to strict standards — and to cooperating with the authorities.
“We are not asking for privileges. We are asking that consenting adults have the right to work safely, pay their taxes and grow old with dignity.”— ASMEQ, statement of principles
Frequently asked questions
Why was ASMEQ created?
ASMEQ was born out of the Montreal mobilization against a plan to shut down all massage parlours indiscriminately. By publicly distinguishing legitimate establishments from criminal networks, that mobilization helped redirect the City’s action toward only those businesses tied to trafficking, minors and organized crime. The association was founded to make that dialogue permanent.
Does ASMEQ respect abolitionist positions?
Yes — ASMEQ respects the sincerity of abolitionist convictions but disagrees on the merits: criminalization has never eliminated the practice, only made it more dangerous; it cuts workers off from police protection; and it conflates victims with free adults, diluting the resources devoted to fighting real trafficking.
What does ASMEQ mean by full economic citizenship?
That people who do this work freely can declare their income, qualify for a mortgage, contribute to a retirement fund, access public health insurance, and call the police without fear — exactly like any other Quebec worker.
The next chapter is being written now
Read our analysis of Bill C-36 and the regulatory framework we propose for Quebec.