To my knowledge, there is nothing in that action plan to address the demand.
Once again, if we are serious about cracking down on trafficking, then we have to address the root causes. Addressing the demand should therefore be part of the national action plan. I don't know for sure, but to my knowledge, the existing plan does not address the demand. Since the plan falls under the responsibility of Public Safety Canada, it focuses a lot more on criminal, legal and policing issues.
We think that the Department for Women and Gender Equality should be more involved in the matter of human trafficking. I know that the department funds projects and no doubt has very worthwhile programs. However, when it comes to researching and understanding this phenomenon, we cannot separate the matter of gender equality and social equality in general from the phenomenon of trafficking for sexual exploitation or just sexual exploitation in its own right. Addressing the demand is really of the utmost importance.
We really need to make an effort as a society. I agree with you that 96% of human trafficking victims are women. That should be a wake-up call and a major cause for concern. We should be trying to find out why. The answer can be found in the existence of the sex trade. That is why we have had legislation since 2014 that prohibits the commodification of the sexuality of women and girls, or of any person. However, we know that this mainly affects women and girls.
I would like to point out something else. Often we think that there are two extremes: those who are in favour of sex work and those who are in favour of abolishing prostitution. According to organizations such as the United Nations, or UN, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, in order to address trafficking for sexual exploitation and human trafficking, we must address the demand. These are not radical individuals or groups. According to many international organizations, addressing the demand is key to obtaining results in fight against human trafficking.