Thank you.
To all the witnesses, thank you being here today. Certainly, this bill has gotten a thorough amount of witnesses and testimony, but I found that all three groups had very important things to say today, so I thank you for your presence.
It does seem to me, Mr. Chair, that we're receiving a large amount of support for the bill, in that it does stiffen and send very clear signals that the perpetrators of these crimes against.... Again, the case before us, as we hear, is that it's mainly men, but I'd also like to talk about other measures that the government either has put in place currently or will be putting in place over the next few years.
For example, last June, the Conservative government launched a national action plan to combat human trafficking: to enhance our ability to prevent this crime, to better support victims, and to ensure that traffickers are held accountable. The government has directed this and is planning to spend more than $25 million over four years to implement this plan.
Furthermore, the victims fund has supported trafficking in persons projects, including partnerships with Public Safety Canada's contribution program to combat child exploitation and human trafficking, as well as various community workshops to raise awareness of trafficking in persons.
First of all, I'd like to ask all three groups, do you support these initiatives? Also, why do you think it's important not only to support this piece of legislation with some amendments, but to also continue to work on this issue?