Why Montreal sex workers chose F1's Canadian GP to strike: 'We don't want to pay to work anymore'

Sex workers protest for better conditions and decriminalization in Montreal during the 2026 F1 Grand Prix weekend Daphné LEMELIN / AFP via Getty Images

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7302742/2026/05/25/f1-sex-workers-strike-montreal/

By Julian McKenzie
May 25, 2026 5:00 am CDT

MONTREAL — As Canadian Grand Prix qualifying took place at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Saturday, a different kind of rally took place in Montreal’s downtown core.

Sex workers announced they’d be going on strike during one of Montreal’s busiest weekends of the year. Over one hundred sex workers and allies walked the streets and protested in the name of improved wages and working conditions.

“Grand Prix was a good opportunity because our employers make a lot of money,” said Adore Goldman, co-founder of the Sex Work Autonomous Committee (SWAC), established in 2019. “But…often we don’t make that much money because they overbook. They book a lot of girls, and they raise the bar (fees). So, in the end, it’s just a normal night. Sometimes even worse.”

The protest comes against a complex legal backdrop. In Canada, selling sexual services is legal, but purchasing them is a criminal offense under Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, passed in 2014. This means sex workers themselves operate legally, while their clients do not. That leaves workers in a precarious position, unable to fully access labor protections or report workplace incidents without exposing their clients to prosecution.

FULL story at link above.