Thank you for that question, but unfortunately, you're not going to like the answer.
I'm going to start by answering the second question you had regarding immigration laws. There is one thing that Canada has graciously done, and that is to introduce a temporary work permit for human traffic victims that actually answers some questions you had earlier. If a woman or a man believed to be a victim of human trafficking is discovered by police officers, he or she has the right to apply for a temporary work permit that gives her immediate access to health services. She also gets a very small start-up fund and social assistance. This includes access to pretty much anything a refugee or a permanent resident can get, which is fantastic, and it has helped us a lot in the last two years.
I have seen victims ordered deported, but because of the free legal assistance they received, they were able to turn these decisions around. Immigration has decided not to deport them and they are still in Canada. I think we are becoming very successful on that end.
Mrs. Smith, myself, and a lot of other advocates have been doing a lot of police training for the last two to three years. Officers are actually turning out in big numbers. I have trained about 60,000 through the RCMP and other police agencies. We are painting a very serious picture of human trafficking and its victims. Based on the front-line calls we get, about 60% to 65% of the police officers we have trained no longer put the handcuffs on those victims. I think the RCMP and all the other agencies are learning to identify the signs very quickly. Mrs. Smith is doing a fantastic job on educating law enforcement, so I think we're doing really well in that department.
The last thing that will be very sad for me to sit here and tell you is that there has been no support for agencies like mine that are helping these human traffic victims. We work for no salaries. None of the agencies that do front-line work for human traffic victims receive salaries. We can't be paid, because there are no grants available. There are no safe houses, because there is no money for safe houses. Every single thing we have done we are doing by the grace of God and private funds.
There is a huge need to create a national NGO task force. We have been crying for this for the last two years to officials. We want somebody to sit down and recognize that NGOs need to come together. We need more services, a big plan. Our prayers were heard by Mrs. Smith. Last year she consulted with many NGOs, front-line workers like me, and asked us what we needed in the way of better services. We want to catch up with the United States and provide the appropriate services for victims.
Mrs. Smith created a national action plan. We've all been praying for something to be realized in legislation or become legal, because every agency I know of across Canada is hurting badly in manpower. We need counselling services sometimes and there is nothing available for these victims.