I would like to speak on the human trafficking issue. It's an issue I've been working on for the better part of 10 years, and I want to take a moment to explain that it has not been explored. What is happening right now is the former government passed a very useful bill on human trafficking, and it's very helpful. A few weeks ago in Solberg's shop he did the same.
I've been working with police officers. I've been working on three continents...Ukraine, Israel, and North America. I just met with the RCMP last week. They finally have a new video out. They're training their police officers on this, because it's a growing crime. What is happening is it's spreading in an insidious way. There were 800 women trafficked last year to Canada and over 2,200 trafficked through Canada to the U.S. It's a very serious issue. It is growing, and it's all about organized crime and drugs.
I think it's very important that we as a status of women committee examine human trafficking and take it seriously, because our daughters and the young boys are being affected today in our schoolyards.
There are aboriginal women. I just talked to one two days ago.
I had a big forum in Winnipeg two weeks ago on a Saturday. It was packed. The ambassador from Ukraine was there. I've been working with her. Ambassador Miller's chief of state for human trafficking was there. They're all saying the same thing. They're saying this is a crime. They're saying we have to put resources in and we have to examine...and I think the status of women committee is a perfect place for us as women to stand up and say we will not tolerate this horrendous crime.
I think, of course, we have to look at EI and aspects like that as well. So we do have limited time, I can understand that. I think it would be prudent of us to divide that time between maybe something like EI or some very important aspects of financial concerns, especially for senior women and immigrants. I think we do have to take, in this day and age, some concentrated time and bring witnesses in. I have the witnesses. I have listed them. They can come and educate us.
Each one of us as women parliamentarians needs to take a stand on this. We need to work on it and we have to stop it, ladies and gentlemen, because this is a crime that is growing.
My son was in the ICE unit, the Integrated Child Exploitation Unit. I didn't know about this until he got into it--well, I knew about it before, but not to the extent I know now. I have to tell you that this is on our streets, and I think it behooves us to listen to the witnesses, to listen to the people who can come and tell us what's going on, because every child is in jeopardy in our country--if they go to school, if they're on the streets. It's not just some child who is on the streets on his own. You would be surprised if you heard these witnesses.
So I'm going to appeal to you to please support the study of human trafficking. It's important for all of us. It is not a party thing. It's important for all of us as women.