Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to appear before this committee. I'm pleased to be here with my colleagues, the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Let me start by saying that we share the committee's concern with trafficking in persons and the harm it causes to its victims, their families and our communities.
As you know, the safety of our community and the quality of life of our citizens is a key priority for the government. This committee's study of the trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation in Canada reflects a shared commitment towards this same goal.
The committee's study, in the 12th report on trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation in Canada, contributes to greater understanding of the nature and scope of this crime. It also provides useful guidance for all levels of government as well as for civil society as we look to strengthen our individual and collective responses against human trafficking in all its forms.
It's timely that we are appearing before you today on this issue. Next week in Vienna the United Nations will host the Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking, which will bring together an estimated 1,000 participants representing member states from around the world as well as academia and civil society. The Vienna forum is part of the larger UN global initiative to fight human trafficking, which, guided by the UN trafficking protocol, is intended to galvanize international attention and action on this issue.
I am pleased to note that Canada will be an active participant in the Vienna forum, with numerous federal departments participating and working with their colleagues around the world to share experiences, build partnerships, and continue to contribute to the development of international best practices in the fight against human trafficking.
For our part, Canada can take pride in the many measures we have taken to date in combatting trafficking in persons. As we highlighted in the government's response to this committee's report, these measures have been grounded in a clear appreciation of the importance of addressing this issue through a multi-disciplinary strategy.
Our approach focuses on what can be referred to as the four Ps: the prevention of trafficking, the protection of victims, the prosecution of offenders, and partnerships within government and beyond. Since tabling the government response last June, we have taken and will continue to take additional measures to fight human trafficking.
I can tell you that within the Department of Justice, my officials, amongst others, continue to co-chair the interdepartmental working group, the focal point for federal policy development on these issues. In addition, my officials are continuing to work with domestic and international partners to improve our criminal justice response to human trafficking.
For example, over the past year we have been working closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to develop advanced training manuals for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges. This manual is now in its final stage of production and has already been used on a pilot basis for training in Vietnam.
In addition, we are working with the UNODC to develop model anti-trafficking legislation. This project is also near completion and will provide a template for those countries seeking to create their own anti-trafficking legislation. It's clear that the successful implementation of these laws is just as important, of course, as the laws themselves.
Accordingly, my officials continue to work closely with their federal counterparts, including the RCMP, in the delivery of multi-disciplinary training on human trafficking to front-line law enforcement, immigration officials, and victims' services from provincial governments. This training includes a specific component on criminal and prosecutorial responses. Further training will continue to be delivered in Canada throughout 2008.
Our federal partners continue to take steps to improve our responses. For example, as part of the UN global initiative to fight human trafficking, the Department of Foreign Affairs provided financial support for the UN conference on trafficking in children, which was held in Côte d'Ivoire in November 2007.
Madam Chair, we're working to strengthen our responses to this crime through prevention and awareness, through enhancing the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute these crimes, and by better protecting the victims.
We have told you previously about research that we supported to better understand the needs of victims of human trafficking and about awareness pamphlets and posters for potential victims. We will continue to work with our provincial counterparts to strengthen our responses.
In addition, I should point out to you that over the next four years, $52 million will be allocated to support the needs of victims of crime.
Before ending, I want to note that the approach I have outlined above will form the foundation of our continued work on this issue, which will take into account human trafficking and the 2010 Olympics.
In closing, Madam Chair, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you again.
We'll continue to gain strength and confidence in our approach as we build on our experiences.
I thank you for this opportunity.