Sex workers in Montreal are calling for a general strike during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The Autonomous Sex Work Committee stated that their demands include the elimination of the appearance fees that dancers must pay each night to work in clubs. They also want to be considered employees of their workplaces rather than self-employed workers, a status that, in Quebec, offers fewer labour rights and protections. The committee emphasized that by going on strike on May 23, during one of Montreal’s busiest tourist weekends, they will be able to exert maximum pressure on club owners. A Montreal dancer who goes by the name Kit explained that she is going on strike to draw attention to the fact that she and her colleagues, as self-employed workers, are not covered by Quebec’s workplace safety regulations. She testified that her job involves occupational hazards, as she performs in 20-centimetre heels on uneven floors. Kit, who is a member of the Autonomous Sex Work Committee, said that sex workers are going on strike to draw attention to the fact that the federal government has not fully decriminalized sex work. The Grand Prix weekend begins on May 22, with the race taking place on May 24. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 14, 2026.
