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441-00457 (Justice)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

WHEREAS:

  • The U.S. Department of State's 20th Trafficking in Persons Report indicates that Canada "meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking";
  • The TIP Report notes that Canadian governments "did not provide comprehensive data" on investigations, prosecutions, convictions, or victims' services;
  • The range, quality, and timely delivery of trafficking-specific services varies across Canada, including persistent funding shortages;
  • Coordination between the federal and provincial governments on anti-trafficking measures is poor;
  • The TIP Report urges Canadian governments to increase the use of proactive law enforcement techniques, increase training for prosecutors and judges, and increase partnerships with the private sector to prevent human trafficking.

THEREFORE:

We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to strengthen the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act to address Canada's shortcomings as mentioned in the TIP Report so that Canada exceeds the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, and that it cooperates and coordinates more closely with the provinces, the private sector, and other stakeholders to combat human trafficking in Canada.

Response by the Minister of Public Safety

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Pam Damoff, M.P.

The Government of Canada takes the issue of human trafficking seriously and is committed to the protection of children, women, girls, and other vulnerable members of society from all forms of exploitation and abuse, including sexual exploitation and labour trafficking in Canada and abroad.

The protection of victims of human trafficking is a shared responsibility among all levels of government. Provinces and territories provide services such as health and social services, emergency housing, and legal aid to victims and survivors and in some cases have established their own local strategies and action plans to address human trafficking in their jurisdictions. Similarly, civil society and other non-governmental actors play a critical role in Canada’s response to this crime. The Government of Canada recognizes that human trafficking is a multifaceted issue which requires cooperation with the provinces and territories, the private sector and civil society actors.

In 2019, the Government of Canada launched the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (National Strategy), which brings 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. The National Strategy includes measures aligned with the internationally recognized pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships. Expanding on these pillars, the National Strategy includes empowerment as a fifth pillar to enhance supports and services to victims of human trafficking. As a whole-of-government approach, the National Strategy sets out a comprehensive way forward to address human trafficking and brings together all federal efforts that aim to address human trafficking under one strategic plan to ensure a collaborative and coordinated national response.

Under the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the Federal Government has developed an enhanced governance structure to enable a more coordinated response to human trafficking. The Human Trafficking Taskforce (HTT), comprised of all relevant federal departments, was established to ensure effective coordination, implementation and management of existing and enhanced efforts to address human trafficking in Canada and abroad. Further, the HTT serves to support the alignment of anti-human trafficking initiatives with other federal government priorities (i.e. Gender-Based Violence and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). Public Safety Canada has also established robust mechanisms to bolster existing governance through the federal Human Trafficking Taskforce (HTT), these include an Assistant Deputy Ministers meeting, and a Director-General Steering Committee on Human Trafficking which provide oversight of the horizontal initiative.

Collaboration and information sharing with federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments through the Public Safety Canada-led FPT Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Working Group remains central to the Government’s efforts. The Government of Canada also hosts a Justice Canada led-FPT Coordinating Committee of Senior Officials on Human Trafficking. These meetings facilitate information sharing and collaboration, and the sharing of best practices and lessons learned to inform policy and program development.

Furthermore, under the National Strategy, the Government of Canada committed to hosting stakeholder engagements to ensure ongoing outreach and information sharing and to address emerging trends. The purpose of these engagements is to bring together experts, civils society organizations, service provides and other external stakeholders to enhance knowledge and information sharing; better understand stakeholder concerns and priority issues; and, inform forward looking policy and program development. These meetings also provide Public Safety Canada and federal partners with an opportunity to strengthen key relationships and establish new ones as well as identify opportunities for new partnerships.

The Government of Canada is committed to combating human trafficking and will continue to work diligently to better understand gaps in Canada’s collective response to this crime to build stronger and safer communities across Canada.

 

Presented to the House of Commons
Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon)
May 12, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00457)
Government response tabled
June 21, 2022
Photo - Brad Vis
Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon
Conservative Caucus
British Columbia

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.