Romanian Exotic dancers in Canada

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Gabriela Astanoaiei, medical doctor in Romania, worked as an exotic dancer, for four years in Canada. Her 2008 disappearance was ruled a suicide.

There is a long tradition of Romanian Exotic dancers working in Canada.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] In 2002 Canada's Ministry of Employment and Immigration began issuing work visas to exotic dancers under it skilled worker program. Canada has categories of occupations where employers are allowed to hire overseas workers because there is a chronic shortage of Canadian citizens with that skill.

While critics would assert that women working under the program were vulnerable to sexual exploitation from their employers, and would be vulnerable to pressure to supplement their official duties with prostitution.[14] Officials would explain that granting the work visas was intended to provide some protections to the women.

In 2005 the program became well known when a young Romanian woman named Alina Balaican, and her Canadian husband, worked on the campaign of their local Member of Parliament, Judy Sgro, who was coincidentally, Canada's Minister of Employment and Immigration. While Balaican had stopped working as an exotic dancer, and so was subject to removal from Canada, as her visa was no longer valid, her marraige to a Canadian husband entitled her to apply to be a Permanent Resident in Canada. Balaican had applied for a Special Minister's Permit. In spite of the name the issuing of these permits was routine, in cases where someone scheduled for removal, who had a valid reason to apply for a change in status, to allow them to stay in Canada long enough for the status change request to be processed.

An inquiry would later conclude Sgro had not committed any impropriety in extending Balaican's stay, that she had never met Balaican, and did not know they had worked on her re-election campaign.

From 1999 to 2005 more than one thousand Romanian dancers in Canada worked under a Canadian Government program that allowed skilled workers to come to Canada to fill jobs for which there were not enough skilled Canadian citizens.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] These Romanian women were employed as exotic dancers. Some women from other nations came to Canada under this program, but the overwhelming majority of them were Romanians. In 2003 601 dancers received visas under the program -- 582 of them from Romania.

The program came to be highly criticized, with critics portraying it as exploiting women, who worked under unsafe conditions, and were exposed to undocumented sexual exploitation.[11][12][13]

The original program was officially halted in late 2004. But Romanians working as dancers continued to be the focus of controvery.[15][16] In April 2008 then Minister of Immigration Diane Finley reported receiving multiple death threats in response to her plans introduce new legislation to permanently end giving visas to exotic dancers.[17]

Loredana Silion

Loredana Silion had her visa application denied because her Romanian experience as a topless dancer was not considered sufficiently similar to the nude dancing position she had been offered in Canada.[18][19]

Alina Balaican

In 2004 a 25 year-old Romanian woman named Alina Balaican played a central role in the resignation of Judy Sgro, who was then the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Balaican had married a Canadian man, Howard Mulholland. As the spouse of a Canadian citizen Balaican was entitled to apply for Canadian citizenship, and to change her visa to one that allowed her to take other jobs than working as an exotic dancer.

Balaican was fined $250 for allowing a customer to touch her body during a dance. Balaican stopped working as a dancer, and was informed that because she wasn't working she wasn't complying with the conditions of her visa, and she would have to leave Canada...

"Andreea"

In 2007 a Romanian dancer known as "Andreea", working in Canada, became the focus of controversy, because her father was a Romanian diplomat.

Gabriela Astanoaiei

Gabriela Astanoaiei was a medical doctor from Romania, who came to Canada in 1999 to pursue her medical career.[20][21][22][23][24] She was unable to navigate the process where foreign doctors can get Canadian credentials, and ended up working as an exotic dancer. According to press reports she quit dancing in 2004, when a wealthy boyfriend started to support her. She was last seen alive on March 10, 2008. Her car was found parked near a lake outside of Montreal.

References

  1. ↑ Colin Freeze, Marina Jimenez (2004-11-27). "Strippers put Ottawa program at centre stage". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2016-02-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160211032044/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/strippers-put-ottawa-program-at-centre-stage/article1144583/?page=all. Retrieved 2016-02-10. "Strip club owners say they can't find Canadian women to do the kind of work done by Agnes and Isabella, exotic dancers and performers from Romania." 
  2. ↑ Jeff Sallot, Colin Freeze (2004-11-24). "Exotic-dancer program on Sgro hit list". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2016-02-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20160211032132/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/exotic-dancer-program-on-sgro-hit-list/article1007653/. Retrieved 2016-02-10. "Human Resources and Skills Development Canada says not enough Canadian women want to be exotic dancers to meet the demand." 
  3. ↑ Lesley Ciarula Taylor (2008-06-10). "Strip clubs 'get creative': Club owners ready to hire consultant to find loopholes in the rules". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2008/06/10/strip_clubs_get_creative.html. Retrieved 2016-02-12. ""We're looking for an above-board alternative pathway" to hire strippers and dancers, Tim Lambrinos, executive director of the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada, said Friday. One route, he said, might be to use foreign student visas, since foreign students can now work for 20 hours a week in any job." 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite paper
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Canada in stripper row over nude photos". The Age. 2004-07-29. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theage.com.au%2Farticles%2F2004%2F07%2F29%2F1091046065935.html&date=2010-02-28. "The Canadian government is denying reports its visa officers are sifting through hundreds of nude photos from women hoping to enter the country to work as strippers and exotic dancers. But immigration officials admit they do require photographic evidence from applicants of their trade - and say its all done to crack down on trafficking in women." 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bill McIntosh (2004-12-13). "Exotic dancers rock a minister". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newstatesman.com%2F200412130006&date=2010-02-28. "Why Romania? Club operators say the women speak English, have a high level of education and are anxious to leave a country where average annual incomes are about £800. Though government officials say many of the dancers eventually return to Romania, 552 of the 661 who got visas in 2003 abandoned their homeland." 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Taxi Driver". The Western Standard. 2005-10-05. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwesternstandard.blogs.com%2Fshotgun%2F2005%2F10%2Ftaxi_driver.html&date=2010-02-28. "The two dead men were allowed into the country under the exotic dancer visa program. The federal Liberals had shut down that program in December last year after they realized that the Canadian embassy in Romania was not verifying the ages of girls coming to Canada. There was some evidence of corruption at the embassy, with officials there claiming they were intimidated by organized crime. Further, it seems when the women arrived in Canada they were sold into virtual sexual slavery, paid little and forced to perform sexual acts far beyond anything they were told about when they signed up." 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Audrey Macklin (Summer 2003). Dancing across borders: 'Exotic dancers,' trafficking, and Canadian immigration policy. 37. The International Migration Review. p. 464. http://www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/Mackin/DancingAcrossBorders.doc. Retrieved 2010-02-28. "In the case of sex-trade workers, the formal stance of most states tends toward exclusion. Canada's policy distinguishes it from many other Western nations in that Canadian law proffers a temporary work permit to 'exotic dancers,' otherwise known as strippers.". 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 David Usborne (2004-12-07). "'Strippergate' visa row exposes the naked truth about Canada's welcome for Romanian women". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fstrippergate-visa-row-exposes-the-naked-truth-about-canadas-welcome-for-romanian-women-678918.html&date=2010-02-28. "For years, it has run programmes to import workers for industries that simply cannot find enough Canadians to fill their jobs. And they have included - until now - the exotic dancer industry." 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tom Godfrey (2004-06-25). "Stripper shortage in Canada". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcnews.canoe.ca%2FCNEWS%2FCanada%2F2004%2F06%2F25%2F514148.html&date=2010-02-28. "Young Romanian women are coming to Canada by the hundreds to dance in strip clubs, which are suffering a shortage of exotic dancers, immigration statistics show. Some 582 Romanian women were among a record 880 strippers given work permits last year to table dance in Canadian girlie bars, the statistics show." 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Canada Abruptly Ends Special Visas for Exotic Dancers after Inquiries into Underage Strippers". Lifesite News. 2004-12-01. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifesitenews.com%2Fldn%2F2004%2Fdec%2F04120102.html&date=2010-02-28. "Today in the House of Commons, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan announced an abrupt end to the Canadian scheme of arranging visas specifically for exotic dancers, or strippers, which are used to fill positions at strip clubs in Canada. Those clubs, it has been acknowledged even by club owners, are notorious for forced back-room prostitution work." 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Stripper Visa Scandal Exposes Canada's Complicity in Human Trafficking". Lifesite News. 2004-11-30. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifesitenews.com%2Fldn%2F2004%2Fnov%2F04113009.html&date=2010-02-28. "The current controversy over Immigration Minister Judy Sgro's alleged issuance of an exotic dancer visa to a campaign worker from Romania has led to serious concerns that Canada may be complicit in human trafficking. It has been revealed that last year alone, 601 foreign women received temporary work permits for exotic dancing; 582 of them from Romania." 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Trafficking in persons report". United States Department of State. 2005-06. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Fdocuments%2Forganization%2F47255.pdf&date=2010-02-28. "The government revised its immigration policy to discontinue a blanket employment waiver (begun in 1998) that had permitted adult entertainment establishments to hire foreign women as exotic dancers — a type of program that has been abused and exploited by traffickers in many other countries. Officials acknowledge that some women may have been forced into prostitution." 
  14. ↑ Caroline Alphonso (2000-06-17). "Strip-club raids reveal illegal immigrants, prostitution". Mississauga: Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2016-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160605173231/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/strip-club-raids-reveal-illegal-immigrants-prostitution/article4165022/. Retrieved 2016-06-05. "Not only were we offered and solicited within the clubs," he said, "we were given the opportunity of having names and phone numbers of the girls so that if our guys were shy, they would be moved off-site and other arrangements could be made." 
  15. ↑ "Canada to Tighten Laws Against Sex Trafficking with Proposed Bill Blocking Stripper Visas". Lifesite News. 2007-05-18. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifesitenews.com%2Fldn%2F2007%2Fmay%2F07051805.html&date=2010-02-28. "Immigration Minister Diane Finley introduced a bill Wednesday that would prevent sex trade workers from entering the country on a stripper’s visa." 
  16. ↑ Kevin Stell (2005-11-14). "Dancing with death: Ottawa restarts its controversial visa program for strippers– with lethal consequences". The Western Standard. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221715/http://kevinsteel.org/2005/11/14/dancing-with-death/. "Carlin isn’t speculating whether Kraynak and Wright were involved in a lethal situation, but says he’s too familiar with the track record of Ottawa’s stripper immigration policy not to be skeptical. In the past, he’s lambasted the program for allowing bulk shipments of Romanian women to Canada (in 2003, 552 of 661 special visas went to women in Romania–a hotbed of human trafficking). Many were lured by promises of strip club work, but once here, he says, were forced into prostitution and pornography. Some of them were underage. “Bottom line?” Carlin says, “These men would be alive if the program hadn’t been restarted.”" 
  17. ↑ Terry Pedwell (2008-04-23). "Minister threatened over 'stripper law'". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2FNews%2FCanada%2Farticle%2F417613&date=2010-02-28. "Security has been tightened around Immigration Minister Diane Finley following threats related to Conservative efforts to keep foreign strippers out of Canada. Numerous threats, of an escalating nature, have been made against the minister in recent weeks, several sources have told The Canadian Press. The exact nature of the threats was not revealed, but sources say they are directly linked to Bill C-17, the government's anti-stripper legislation. The sources hinted at an organized crime connection." 
  18. ↑ "Stripper not naked enough for Canada". Independent Online. 2000-01-15. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=588&set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw947934301286B236. Retrieved 2010-03-01. "Experience as a topless dancer in Romania was not enough to qualify her for the job, the judge found." 
  19. ↑ Mark Heinzl (1999-04-05). "Canada's Government Gets Skimpy With Work Visas for Exotic Dancers". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB923263533563992466.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglewsj&date=2010-03-01. Retrieved 2010-02-02. "The Canadian government, peeling her art of its euphemisms, calls the 22-year-old Ms. Silion a stripper and won't issue a work permit. Forced to cool her heels in her hometown of Brasov, Romania, where she dances for the equivalent of about $5 a night, she has sued in Canada's Federal Court to force its hand." 
  20. ↑ Don Peat (2008-04-11). "Mystery of the missing stripper". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcnews.canoe.ca%2FCNEWS%2FCanada%2F2008%2F04%2F11%2F5254691-sun.html&date=2010-02-28. "Astanoaiei came to Canada nine years ago. Trained as a doctor in Romania, she worked at the Pro Cafe strip club in Vaughan. She was trying to get enough money to become a doctor here or with her husband in the U.S., her friend said." 
  21. ↑ Don Peat (2008-04-11). "Missing stripper committed suicide?". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcnews.canoe.ca%2FCNEWS%2FCanada%2F2008%2F04%2F12%2F5266471-sun.html&date=2010-03-01. "Did a Romanian doctor turned-exotic-dancer take her own life? Quebec police say their investigation into Gabriela Astanoaiei's disappearance points to suicide. But her friends in Toronto say they can't believe the woman who once worked at a Vaughan strip club would harm herself." 
  22. ↑ Cornelia Rosoga (2008-04-12). "Irene Gabriela Astanoaiei , stripteuza romanca, disparuta la Toronto". Gardianul. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freenews.ro%2F_public%2Fro%2Fstire%2F52869%2F&date=2010-02-28. 
  23. ↑ ""Elodia" din Canada este de negasit". Ziare. 2008-04-12. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ro&u=http://www.ziare.com/articole/dansatori-x42&ei=NQ6LS9OGCpKVtgfpv6WRDw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBEQ7gEwAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3DGabriela%2Bstripteuzele%2BToronto%2BOR%2BMontreal%2BOR%2BVaughn%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG. 
  24. ↑ John Stewart (2008-04-14). "Suicide suspected in missing stripper case". OTTAWA REGION MEDIA GROUP. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourottawaregion.com%2Farticle%2F17946&date=2010-02-28. "A note was found inside the coat, with a photo of her family and a cellphone. Because they suspect suicide, police will not reveal certain details of their investigation." 

External links

  1. http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2012/07/05/19953161.html
  2. "Victims of Trafficking in Persons: Perspectives from the Canadian Community Sector". Department of Justice Canada. 2010-01-08. Archived from the original on 2010-02-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanada.justice.gc.ca%2Feng%2Fpi%2Frs%2Frep-rap%2F2006%2Frr06_3%2Fp3.html&date=2010-02-28. "In other words, a person can be a sex worker in Romania, have a migratory trajectory where, during the transportation to Canada, may or may not have been fooled, may or may not have traveled in horrible conditions, and may or may not work in the sex industry after arriving in Canada." 
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