Justice committee  They're all in the Criminal Code. They all complement one another. As to whether we have the right mix, I think time will tell. As I said earlier in my remarks, the jurisprudence seems to suggest that the provisions are working as they were intended when debated and discussed by Parliament.

Justice committee  The independence of the judiciary being what it is, most training is organized through the National Judicial Institute. The Department of Justice has looked at ways to try to partner with the National Judicial Institute to develop training around human trafficking. We continue to explore those opportunities.

Justice committee  I don't think I can answer that.

Justice committee  I don't think I should answer that, but what I will say, generally, is that awareness-raising and education for those on the front lines are critically important, especially with such a complex area of law.

Justice committee  We can certainly give you the statistics. I think the front-line experience is best addressed through the front-line officers.

Justice committee  I'll start. You asked about what happens when some conduct occurs in one country and another conduct occurs here in Canada. I mentioned the extraterritorial application of our human trafficking laws. It's a slightly different scenario from what you've articulated, but if a Canadian citizen or permanent resident commits human trafficking abroad, Canada can assume jurisdiction to prosecute it here in Canada, and we will do that where the home country in which the crime has occurred is either unable or unwilling to prosecute within its jurisdiction.

Justice committee  Again, from a justice perspective, ensuring that the criminal justice system is a place where victims have confidence is critically important. That's important for human trafficking and it's important for gender-based violence and sexual assault. I mean, it's important across the board.

Justice committee  To be very quick, because I know that's what we've been asked to do, I think we would always say that having more tools in the tool box is a good thing for police officers. We knew before the provisions were found to be unconstitutional, and since, that police officers would always, or often, charge both trafficking charges and prostitution-related offences.

Justice committee  I do think there's still a divergence in the way in which organizations, countries, and institutions define human trafficking, and that starts from the definition of “trafficking in persons” in the UN protocol. It's a broad definition. It provides flexibility for different countries to define human trafficking in a way that's consistent with their legal systems.

Justice committee  There is, certainly through the efforts of the human trafficking task force, an ongoing effort to try to ensure that we're consistent as a federal government in collecting information on human trafficking. But if you think about, for example, our colleagues at IRCC, they will collect information with respect to the number of individuals who receive temporary resident permits as potential victims of human trafficking.

Justice committee  Correct. None of that is in force.

Justice committee  I can provide the information to the committee. I didn't bring any with me today. I do know there is a broad range, from no imprisonment to significant periods of imprisonment. I wouldn't want to give you a specific number. We know there are a lot of guilty pleas for human trafficking prosecutions, and that fact factors into the sentencing, but we also know that the courts are imposing relatively stringent penalties even in guilty convictions.

Justice committee  There are some that the department is tracking in respect of the mandatory minimum penalty for child trafficking. I don't believe there has been an outcome in any specific case yet involving a constitutional challenge to the mandatory minimums.

Justice committee  You're correct that the amendments that were passed through Bill C-452 by Parliament are not yet in force. Bill C-38, which was introduced by the government, is in the House of Commons currently. It proposes to amend the coming into force clause of Bill C-452 for the reasons you have outlined with respect to the mandatory consecutive sentencing.

Justice committee  Thanks for the question. It's a good one. I think someone alluded to this earlier. In the years following the enactment of the Criminal Code offences on human trafficking, there was a certain period of time during which implementation was required, so you weren't seeing charges laid for those specific offences for a number of years.