OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada's immigration minister is being threatened by criminal gangs opposed to her government's efforts to halt foreign strippers from working in this country, media said Thursday.
The daily Globe and Mail, citing unnamed federal officials, said the threats are tied to a proposed law introduced last year that would limit the number of visas given to foreign strippers.
The nature of the threats was not specified, but security for Immigration Minister Diane Finley has been visibly beefed up in recent weeks.
"It's because of threats made by undesirables who are not in favor of our ... efforts to prevent vulnerable people, such as strippers, from being exploited or abused," the official told the Globe and Mail.
Jean Hainey, spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), refused to comment, telling AFP it does not discuss its protection of dignitaries.
A spokesman for Finley was not immediately available.
Finley said last year the bill, which has yet to be enacted, aimed to "protect vulnerable foreign workers, ones that could easily be exposed to sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse."
Once passed, it would allow immigration officers to assess the risk of exploitation and refuse entry to foreign workers at risk -- in particular, exotic dancers.
Canada has long had a shortage of homegrown strippers, and club owners, some of whom are alleged to have ties to organized crime, hotly opposed the bill.
According to Tim Lambrinos, head of the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada, there are currently 700 foreign strippers in Canada, and more are needed.
He told the Globe and Mail that the Conservative government's crackdown on his industry will force foreign dancers underground where they will be more prone to exploitation.
Since the 1990s, Canada has granted hundreds of visas to foreign strippers, mostly from Eastern Europe.
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