Parliamentary Committee Notes: Human Trafficking
Date: May 11, 2022
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Fully releasable (ATIP)? Yes
Branch / Agency: CPB/LESBS/SOC
Proposed Response:
- Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and the Government takes this issue very seriously.
- Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, in 2002.
- In 2019 the Government of Canada launched the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, whichbrings together federal efforts under one strategic framework, and is supported by an investment of $57.22 million over five years and $10.28 million ongoing.
- Public Safety Canada’s investments under the National Strategy are supporting: services for victims and at-risk populations; the development of tools to help people detect and respond to suspected cases of human trafficking; the creation of guidelines for front-line workers, so they can better help victims; and a national public awareness campaign.
- The National Strategy builds on a previous investment of $1 million for Justice Canada’s Victims’ Fund to support victims of human trafficking, as well as $14.5 million over five years and $2.89 million ongoing for the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline.
- The Hotline is a multi-lingual, toll-free service available 24/7 that refers victims to local law enforcement, shelters and a range of other supports and services. It is a lifeline for victims of this crime.
If asked about funding decisions under the National Strategy/Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime:
- In 2020, as part of the National Strategy, Public Safety Canada and Women and Gender Equality Canada launched calls for proposals. This resulted in investments of up to $22.4 million over four years for 63 organizations across Canada that are working to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors.
- Organizations are selected and funded based on the terms and conditions of the funding programs, evaluation criteria and specific requirements identified in the call for proposals, and the availability of funding.
- We will continue to support projects that protect at-risk populations and empower victims and survivors of human trafficking.
If asked about forced labour/labour trafficking:
- The Government takes the protection of foreign workers very seriously and will not tolerate any abuse of workers or their rights.
- Through the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the Government is working to prevent labour exploitation and human trafficking in federal procurement supply chains.
- This builds on existing Government programs and polices to protect foreign workers, such as the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and Temporary Resident Permits.
If asked about risks of human trafficking related to the situation in Ukraine:
- Public Safety and its partners are working collaboratively and monitoring for human trafficking related risks and incidents involving Ukrainian nationals arriving in Canada as part of ongoing efforts.
- The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, supported by Public Safety and promoted by many provinces and territories, is able to provide services in Ukrainian.
Financial Implications:
- NIL
Background:
Human trafficking, also referred to as trafficking in persons, involves the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of persons for the purpose of exploitation, typically sexual exploitation or forced labour. The primary international instrument to combat trafficking in persons is the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC; also known as the Palermo Convention) and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Trafficking in Persons Protocol). Canada ratified the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and its parent convention, the UNTOC, on May 13, 2002.
Canada has comprehensive criminal laws to combat human trafficking, which prohibit trafficking in persons as well as other exploitative conduct related to human trafficking. The Criminal Code contains several human trafficking-specific offences, including trafficking in adults, trafficking in children, materially benefitting from human trafficking and removing or destroying documents for the purpose of facilitating this crime. The two main offences (sections 279.01 and 279.011) are punishable by maximum penalties of up to life imprisonment if they also involve kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault or caused the death of a victim. Also, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act targets cross-border trafficking. Section 118 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act prohibits knowingly organizing the coming into Canada of one or more persons by means of abduction, fraud, deception, or use or threat of force or coercion. The offence is punishable by a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1 million.
The scope of human trafficking in Canada is difficult to determine due to the hidden nature of the crime, difficulties in identifying victims, and victims’ reluctance to report crimes to authorities. Nonetheless, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, police-reported incidents on human trafficking in Canada have steadily increased since 2010. The latest Juristat (2019) on Trafficking in Persons in Canada indicates that, according to police-reported data from 2019, there were a total of 365 victims in incidents involving Criminal Code human trafficking violations; 336 (or 92%) were victims of incidents where human trafficking was the only or the most serious violation in the incident. The vast majority (95%) of human trafficking victims were girls and women, and overall, most (89%) victims were below the age of 35. Twenty one percent of victims were girls below the age of 18, and 43% were young women aged 18 to 24. Individuals at risk of victimization include those who are socially/economically disadvantaged, such as Indigenous women and girls, LGBTQ2 persons, migrants, new immigrants, and youth at-risk (e.g. in the child welfare system).
In September 2019, the Government launched the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, which is supported by an investment of $57.22 million over five years and $10.28 million ongoing. These investments are shared among Public Safety Canada (PS); Women and Gender Equality Canada; Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada; Public Services and Procurement Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and the Canada Border Services Agency. The National Strategy builds on the internationally recognized pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships, and incorporates a new pillar of “empowerment”, in order to enhance supports and services to victims. PS activities under the Strategy include: the development of guidelines to support the provision of care to victims and survivors of human trafficking; a public awareness campaign; training tools for individuals employed in targeted economic sectors, so they can better identify victims; new contribution funding for supports for at-risk populations, and the establishment of a Survivor Advisory Committee.
Budget 2018 announced $14.51 million over five years and $2.89 million ongoing to establish a national human trafficking hotline. Operated by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline was launched in Spring 2019. It is a multilingual, 24/7, toll-free line, referral service and resource Centre that receives calls, emails and texts about potential human trafficking in Canada and refers victims to law enforcement and trauma-informed supports.
In September 2019, Shirley Cuillierrier was appointed as the Interim Special Advisor to Combat Human Trafficking. Ms. Cuillierrier is a retired RCMP Assistant Commissioner and member of the Mohawk First Nation from Kanesatake, Quebec. She has significant experience in operational policing and has led the RCMP’s National Human Trafficking Coordination Centre. Ms. Cuillierrier has dedicated much of her professional and personal life to educating, volunteering, and investigating crimes of violence against women and children. In 2017, Ms. Cuillierrier was appointed Senior Advisor on Reconciliation and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Ms. Cuillerrier’s second term ended on September 18, 2021.
Contacts:
Prepared by: Emily Ouellette, a/Senior Policy Analyst, 343-553-3857
Approved by: Name, title and phone number (ADM or equivalent only)
- Date modified: