Canadian GP hit by unexpected twist as 'Montreal dancers' demand rights

According to Montreal Magazine, strippers and exotic dancers are preparing to strike during one of the city’s busiest weekends of the year, demanding to be recognised as employees with the same labour protections as other workers.

The strike is reportedly scheduled for 23 May, during the F1 weekend, and would see some workers at strip clubs and massage parlours refuse to work in a bid to secure better conditions. In Montreal, most strip club dancers are not paid a salary and instead rely on tips, while also often having to pay a “bar service fee” out of their own earnings.

Céleste Ivy, a Montreal dancer who is a member of the Comité autonome du travail du sexe (CATS), spoke to The Gazette, explaining that performers are not treated as employees, and are not as protected as people working in other fields.“It happens to every worker every year that we go home and find ourselves in the red,” Ivy said. “Since we’re not salaried employees, we don’t have access to the protections that other workers usually have,” she added.

Francine Tremblay, who previously worked in the industry and is currently a lecturer at the Concordia University, says that bosses “will freak out” if the performers walk out, because the F1 weekend in Montreal is when the bars “make their money.”

Turning back to the on-track action, the Canadian Grand Prix weekend will feature the third Sprint event of the 2026 season, following earlier Sprints in China and Miami.

Several drivers, including George Russell, will be looking to rediscover form amid increasing pressure, particularly with teammate Kimi Antonelli continuing to impress and leading the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Track action at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve begins with the sole practice session on Friday, 22 May at 17:30 BST, followed by Sprint Qualifying at 21:30. Saturday features the Sprint Race at 17:00 BST, with Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix at 21:00. The weekend concludes on Sunday, 24 May, with the Grand Prix at 21:00.