Debates of Feb. 16th, 2021

Status of Women

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, one thing people can do is to keep their eyes open and listen if something is putting their spidey senses off and be aware of that. People need to know there is a human trafficking hotline. In the modern day with Google, we do not have to memorize that number because we can Google it, but people need to know that it is there. People should know there is a Canadian hotline to call if someone suspects human trafficking is taking place. If someone sees something, they need to say something. That is the biggest thing.

The other thing is that “stranger danger” is not always the case. In most human trafficking cases, the victims are being trafficked by somebody they know, so be aware of that.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the opportunity to speak to colleagues in the chamber today.

I am here in two capacities, one as the member of Parliament for Scarborough—Guildwood, and the other as the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. The APPG has two tasks, one with respect to supply-chain slavery and the second with respect to human trafficking. Today we are speaking about the second task, but I also want to take this opportunity to speak about the first a little later.

I do not know whether members know the name William Wilberforce and whether it means anything to them. To me he is one of the finest examples of what a determined non-cabinet member can do when the legislative odds are stacked against him or her. Wilberforce was the member for Yorkshire from 1780 until 1825, some 45 years. He was asked several times to become a cabinet minister in several different governments, but declined each time because God had set before him two great tasks, one of which was the abolition of slavery in the British empire. At the time, the British empire reigned supreme throughout the world. Its economic foundation was the slave trade. Slaves went from Africa to the Americas; then slave products came from the Americas to Britain; then the slaves returned back to Africa to pick up more slaves. The monies generated from those slave products constituted 80% of Great Britain's foreign income. Wilberforce set out to turn the economic underpinnings of the British empire on their head. It was a formidable task from a relatively weak position. However, with persistence, luck, procedural smarts and hard work he was witness to the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. He died three days later.

I tell that story to say two things: first, that slavery is still not being abolished in Canada, and second, that persistence, hard work and some luck can yield results. Humans are still being trafficked in 2021. I know it is shocking and I do not know how a country like Canada that calls itself civilized can allow this to continue. Members will hear statistics repeated over the course of this debate and realize that statistics do not necessarily tell the entire story. Of the victims who are reported to police, 45% are between the ages of 18 and 24, and 97% are girls and women. According to a 2014 report by the Canadian Women's Foundation, 50% of trafficked girls and 51% of trafficked women are indigenous. These are statistics that, frankly, do not speak to the human suffering behind them. Stalin once said, “If only one man dies of hunger, that is a tragedy. If millions die, that's only statistics.” Let us not forget that behind every statistic is a human tragedy.

This day is long overdue. Initiated by Joy Smith, the former member for Kildonan—St. Paul, February 22 has been proclaimed by Ontario, Alberta, multiple Canadian cities and indeed the United States. Thanks to the persistence of my colleague, the member for Peace River—Westlock, the able assistance of the member for Shefford, Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne and the welcome support of the members for Edmonton Strathcona and Saanich—Gulf Islands, February 22 is about to be designated human trafficking awareness day.

I also want to recognize those who work with us on these initiatives. In my office they are Shawn Boyle, Jenisa Los and Inessa De Angelis, and in the member for Peace River—Westlock's office, it is Joel Oosterman. These are the kinds of initiatives that are really full-on efforts by entire offices, and I want to recognize each and every one of these people for their considerable efforts to make sure that we talk about this today.

This was originally conceived as a unanimous consent motion, and I particularly want to thank the leadership of the government for co-operating in this anticipated motion. The fact that the unanimous consent motion has been overtaken by this concurrence motion is irrelevant in the greater scheme of things, and the member for Peace River—Westlock can take some satisfaction for a job well done.

Shortly, members will hear about all of the government's efforts to rid our nation of this scourge. Some will criticize it as too little, too late, but just before members get too enthusiastic in criticizing the government, I would encourage them to look in the mirror. Governments, after all, are elected and reflect our priorities. Has human trafficking received enough attention? Of course it has not. Should it receive more attention? Of course it should. Will it receive more attention? I would like to think that our efforts today will help, and hopefully this motion will shine a light on this national scourge. That, after all, is the point of this motion.

At this point I want to turn to the other initiative of the APPG, namely, the effort to expose the supply-chain slavery in Canadian products. World Vision estimates that Canadians consume about $34 billion in goods annually that contain some elements of slavery in the supply chain. World Vision further estimates that 1,200 Canadian companies are importing slave-made products, and the Walk Free foundation conservatively estimates that some 40 million people are enslaved globally.

Bill S-216, sponsored by Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, and its predecessor Bill C-423, sponsored by me, stipulated that companies of significant size be required to report annually to the Minister of Public Safety that the company has examined its supply chain and is satisfied that no slavery exists in it. The bill has been enthusiastically embraced by many NGOs and corporations, all of which understand the moral hazard argument and the human rights arguments against slavery, but also find themselves in an economically disadvantaged position when competing with slave labour. Multiple examples have been highlighted recently in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and by the CBC. We are urging the government to take over this bill, not only for its obvious human rights and moral arguments, but also because Canadian companies find themselves at a competitive disadvantage when competing with slave labour.

In addition, it should be noted that the Canadian government will be negotiating a free trade agreement with Great Britain in the next number of months. Great Britain has been a legislative leader in this field. Its own legislation is a model not only for our Bill S-216, but also for a number of other pieces of legislation around the world. Great Britain will be hosting the G7, and while no one publicly knows the agenda, Canada would be in a much better position if we had robust supply-chain legislation, rather than what currently exists.

In conclusion, I would urge my colleagues to support this motion. I encourage the good work of the APPG. In the words of William Wilberforce, “You can choose to look the other way but never again can you say that you never knew.”

I thank the House for its time and attention.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is great to hear that people from all parties are on the same page on this topic.

However, tangibly speaking, what are the next steps we need to take in Parliament? The member alluded to this in his speech, but could he elaborate further on what the next steps need to be and on what we should focus?

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would be very encouraged if enforcement mechanisms were stepped up. It is not as if this is an unknown problem; it is a known problem. It would be encouraging if, as a result of awareness, the Canadian public said to those enforcement agencies, whether the RCMP or others, that they want them to act on these matters. That would be a welcome outcome of this day where we recognize human trafficking.

The second outcome is, as I alluded to, with respect to supply-chain slavery. Not only is trafficking of human beings inextricably linked to supply-chain slavery, but supply-chain slavery is inextricably linked to human trafficking. Were the government to see fit, I think it would be a happy outcome if in fact Bill S-216 or some version thereof be adopted sooner rather than later.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I very much liked my colleague's speech and I am very pleased to be here today to speak to this serious and very sensitive issue.

I agree on the importance of symbols and on establishing a human trafficking awareness day, but human trafficking is a crime, and when we talk about crime we must also talk about poverty. Beyond the symbolic nature of this awareness day, could we not invest heavily in anti-poverty campaigns? I am thinking of housing, groups that help women who are victims of domestic violence, addictions support groups and all these issues that contribute to the problem we are talking about today.

Does my colleague not think that we should be investing heavily in anti-poverty campaigns in Canada?

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while not directly on point, the hon. member does make a valid point.

Certainly, the socio-economic conditions of any society writ large do yield to people being involved in things like supply chains of slavery or human trafficking. The people who are the victims of this clearly, in many instances, have little or no choice. The concept of consent is a bit dubious. It may be clear in lawyers' minds but nowhere else.

Clearly, many of the people behind the statistics cited by myself and other colleagues indicate that conditions of poverty yield these kinds of outcomes. In my judgment, it behooves us all to get behind a number of the initiatives that have been put forward with respect to poverty alleviation by this government and previous ones.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding in London, Ontario, human trafficking is a growing issue of concern for sure. However, one of the major providers of programs and supports for victims of trafficking had its funding cut. A previous government gave funding under a project-based funding model, and the current government did the same thing. However, right in the middle of a pandemic that funding was cut. The program providers were scrambling to try to find alternate resources, and ultimately that impacts those victims of human trafficking.

Maybe the member could talk about the impacts of governments not providing core, long-term, operational-based funding and what his government is going to do to resolve that.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have been made aware of this issue by my Liberal colleagues in the London area. It certainly does seem to be a regrettable situation. I cannot speak specifically to the issue raised by the hon. member, but funding is certainly one element of ensuring that the consequences of human trafficking are mitigated and alleviated.

I am concerned that we sometimes have these programs after the horse is out of the barn. It would be much better if in fact people did not find themselves in situations where they are effectively and without their consent forced into situations, which, in 2021, every one of us would find appalling.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I found my colleague's discussion on the economic impact on the British Empire of the abolition of slavery or the potential impact particularly interesting. I know a bit about the story of Wilberforce, but this was a detail of which I was not aware. It really underlines how doing the right thing can often involve economic sacrifice and we should not pretend otherwise when we are fighting for fundamental justice.

Further to the issue of supply chains, could the member share his perspective on the government announcement with respect to supply chains in East Turkestan? This was presented as a measure to address the trafficking of Uighurs and slave labour involving Uighurs in the People's Republic of China. Some have considered this measure inadequate.

What is the member's response to it? Could he make any comparisons between those measures and what is called for by Bill S-216?

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that the member has done a great deal of work with respect to Uighurs and other human rights issues.

Let me first speak about the economic consequences of Wilberforce's initiatives. I do not think it can be understated. This was a member for 45 years in the House of Commons in Great Britain who, from a position of weakness, literally upended the entire economic underpinnings of the British Empire with the abolition of the slave trade. It had huge consequences. It even had consequences here. When we were a colony of Great Britain and when the British Empire abolished slave trade, we necessarily followed suit. The member is right to point out that this will potentially have economic consequences, particularly in the supply chain.

I want to talk about an incident. I have a good friend who represents a very large fish and seafood products company based in the east coast. They are highly supportive of Bill S-216 because they find themselves competing with shrimp boats that have slaves on them from the South China Sea. Those slave boats, for lack of a better term, can produce fish and seafood products at an extraordinarily low level and they get imported into Canada. The consequence of that is that my friend's company ends up at an economically competitive disadvantage and also—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

We are going to try to get one more question in.

The hon. member for Shefford.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood. We work together on the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

We talked about poverty and the consequences of slavery. I would like my colleague to tell us what he would like to see done to better support the victims, the survivors of this tragic reality of human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her contribution to the APPG. Indeed, there are quite a number of tasks to be done.

I particularly want to recognize that the government initiated the Canada child benefit. In my riding, this is huge for us. It means about $100 million a year coming in for impoverished families. This has led to the greatest reduction in child poverty in all of Canada. That is a very welcome initiative.

I do not know how that plays through to reduction in human trafficking, but I have to think initiatives like the Canada child benefit and CERB are welcome additions to people who are most marginalized. If people are marginalized, they are more likely to get themselves involved in human trafficking and other such events.

Those two initiatives have been welcome initiatives to the reduction in human trafficking. One cannot draw a straight line between A and Z, but improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the most marginalized is, in my judgment, a welcome initiative and feeds directly into the reduction in human trafficking.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the motion in my capacity as vice-chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women examined the problem of human trafficking and recommended that February 22 be recognized as national human trafficking awareness day. We agreed that the committee chair would table the report in the House. I would still like to summarize it, to make sure everyone understands what we are going to be talking about today.

The committee recommends, given the unanimous declaration of the House on Thursday, February 22, 2007, condemning all forms of human trafficking—which is defined as a form of modern-day slavery, generally for sexual purposes, forced labour or slavery—and thus encouraging Canadians to hear from victims and survivors of human trafficking, encouraging Canadians to raise awareness of the magnitude of modern day slavery in Canada and abroad, and taking steps to combat human trafficking. Lastly, the committee recommends that February 22 be recognized as national human trafficking awareness day.

As the critic for status of women, I hear about human trafficking on a regular basis. I hear about it even more often in my role as a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. I want to give a shout-out to my colleagues from Peace River—Westlock and Scarborough—Guildwood, who are also members of this group.

When I was asked to join this multi-party group, I remember being very surprised at first. I wondered whether this was still a current issue, and I was even a bit shocked about being approached to talk about it. That was when I unfortunately realized that this was an ongoing problem that should be better known and highlighted.

That is why I will be addressing today three aspects of this crucial issue. I will first reiterate the Bloc Québécois's position by presenting a few promising solutions. I will then speak about the importance of working with the survivors, especially indigenous women and girls. I will conclude by also dispelling certain myths about human trafficking and modern-day slavery, given that this motion is being introduced in the midst of a pandemic and that the crisis has demonstrably exacerbated the problems of human trafficking and modern-day slavery.

First and foremost, it is important we all agree on the terminology I will be using in my speech, so I want to review in more detail what human trafficking is about.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, human trafficking occurs when criminals recruit, transport, harbour, or control people to exploit them. As I mentioned earlier, criminals, and we are talking about heinous crimes here, generally exploit their unfortunate victims for sexual purposes or forced labour. Human trafficking may occur for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour or even organ harvesting, although the latter is much less common in Canada.

Human trafficking also refers to the exploitation of human beings for financial benefit. Trafficking can come in many forms, and victims are generally forced, coerced, deceived or compelled through the abuse of trust, power or authority, to provide sexual services or labour. In addition, victims of human trafficking experience serious physical, emotional and psychological trauma.

Human trafficking is a violation of basic human rights and a criminal offence. In fact, six separate Criminal Code offences specifically address human trafficking.

In addition, section 118 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act prohibits knowingly organizing the coming into Canada of one or more persons by means of abduction, fraud, deception or use or threat of force or coercion.

Trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation means the recruitment, transportation and transfer, inside or outside a country, by legal or illegal means, as well as the harbouring or receipt of persons, primarily women and children, for purposes of sexual exploitation. Phases of human trafficking include recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring and receipt, as well as the means used against the victims, such as the threat or use of force, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of a position of vulnerability, or giving or receiving payments or benefits. Tragically, the ultimate goal is to exploit the trafficked women and children to give johns uninterrupted access to sex for money and to earn trafficker pimps substantial profits.

It is important to distinguish between modern-day slavery and human trafficking, however. These terms are not synonymous, although they are connected. Human trafficking is an initial stage, which involves transporting, harbouring, recruiting and receiving victims. All of these steps lead to exploitation or modern-day slavery.

The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is a confidential service that operates 24-7. It can be reached at 1-833-900-1010. The hotline helps victims and survivors of human trafficking by connecting them with social services, emergency services and law enforcement agencies. It also accepts tips from the public. We must remain vigilant and keep our eyes open.

I will now read an excerpt from Public Safety Canada's 2019-24 national strategy to combat human trafficking. In my opinion, it really sums up the fact that everything is not so simple and that a call to action is not enough to make everything clear.

Human trafficking is a complex crime. It is facilitated by many factors, including the vulnerability of particular populations to exploitation, and the demand for low-cost goods and services. While no individual is immune from falling victim to human trafficking, vulnerable populations, such as Indigenous women and girls, are at higher risk. It is a crime that is highly gendered, with root causes of exploitation, including a lack of education, social supports and employment opportunities, compounded by poverty, sexism, racism, and wage inequality.

For its perpetrators, also referred to as traffickers, it can be a low-risk, highly-profitable endeavour believed to be one of the fastest-growing crimes on a global basis, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Traffickers use various methods to lure and groom potential victims. These methods often include intimidation, false work pretenses, or a technique in which the trafficker pretends to be romantically interested in their potential victim.

This may seem cute, especially just a few days after Valentine's Day, but there is nothing cute about it in real life.

Traffickers maintain control over their victims through the use of force, sexual or physical assault, threats of violence or blackmail, confinement, abuse of power, or preying on their vulnerabilities.

Victims often suffer physical, sexual, financial, emotional and psychological abuse, and often live and work in horrific conditions. Due to the harm and violence inflicted on victims, human trafficking is associated with substantial trauma, and recovery from its impacts can take a lifetime.

Here are some very intriguing statistics. According to a 2018 Statistics Canada report, police services had reported a little over 1,700 human trafficking incidents since 2009. Of those incidents, 32% were cross-border offences, and 90% were reported by police in major urban centres.

However, the extent of human trafficking in Canada is vastly underestimated. It often involves vulnerable victims and witnesses who are afraid or suspicious of the authorities and who have been threatened by traffickers.

Victims of human trafficking were most often young women. Almost all victims of human trafficking incidents reported by police were women and girls. Nearly three-quarters of victims were under 25. The majority, 92% of trafficking victims, knew the alleged perpetrator. Most often, in 31% of cases, the alleged perpetrator was a friend or acquaintance. In 29% of cases, it was even a current or former husband, common-law spouse or other intimate partner. Eighty-one per cent of alleged perpetrators were men. In addition, 44% of human trafficking incidents involved other offences: 63% included sex trade-related offences, 39% included assault, and 21% included sexual assault or other sexual violations.

Not all human trafficking cases brought before the courts are treated as such. Human trafficking cases brought to criminal court involved a higher number of charges, took longer to resolve, and were less likely to result in a guilty verdict compared to criminal cases involving other violent offences.

Between 2008 and 2018, that was true for 45% of cases that police reported as human trafficking cases. It was common practice for the courts to treat these cases as non-violent offences where the Criminal Code and other federal laws were concerned. In 52% of cases, we are talking about crimes involving drugs, guns, theft, and so on.

These statistics beg two fundamental questions. First, why are all human trafficking cases not being judged by the courts for what they are: violent crimes? Second, what are the obstacles preventing prosecutions from leading to convictions for human trafficking? I have no answers to these questions today, but by collectively focusing on this issue during a national awareness day, we could reflect on it further. To illustrate my point even better, I will share some examples of human trafficking cases provided by Public Safety Canada.

To begin with, let us look at the case of a 22-year-old woman who entered into a romantic relationship with an individual who would provide drugs to her and her friends. She was transported to an apartment by her alleged boyfriend, locked into the bedroom and forced, by threats, to provide sexual services to other men. The victim fell pregnant, but she was forced to continue working and was given drugs or alcohol to feed her addiction.

Then there was a case involving two women in their early 20s and a 15-year-old woman who were befriended by an individual who promised them high earnings and accommodation in luxury condos in exchange for sexual services. The trafficker began controlling the victims' phone calls, taking most of their earnings and becoming increasingly violent and abusive. He made the women work in various Canadian cities and held one of them at gunpoint to threaten her.

Here is another case. An 18-year-old woman was in a five-year relationship with an individual who frequently assaulted her and controlled her phone. Under her alleged boyfriend's control, the victim provided sexual services to clients in hotels and handed all of her earnings over to him. The trafficker controlled her by threatening to hurt her.

Another example is the case of a female minor who left her single-parent home because of a conflict and stayed with some acquaintances until she befriended a young couple and decided to live with them. She was given drugs and alcohol, and taken downtown to provide sexual services against her will. The victim was coerced into it using physical abuse and fear.

There are also examples like a 35-year-old foreign national who was offered a position in the hospitality sector in Canada. As soon as he arrived, however, he was forced to work long hours for little or no pay, with the trafficker threatening to harm the victim's family in his home country if he tried to complain to the authorities.

Here is one last example to convince you of the magnitude of the problem. A woman was violently forced to leave southern Ontario to be a sex worker in Winnipeg. The police reported that the victim was held in captivity in a house for four months, suffering severe assaults on numerous occasions, including electric shocks. She was also regularly locked in a freezer when her captor was out. The victim was only allowed to leave the house when she was meeting clients, and that was under strict supervision.

Let us take a look at how Canada's actions compare to those of other countries. July 30 is the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The problem is that the House of Commons did not sit on July 30 last year, even though nearly 14 years ago, on February 22, 2007, the House unanimously voted in favour of a motion to recognize and condemn human trafficking. In spite of this vote to condemn this practice, there are still far too many victims, as I have mentioned, and we need to immediately take further action. February 22 is a sitting day in the House.

We also know that in 2002, Canada ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The protocol focuses on four pillars: the prevention of human trafficking, the protection of victims, the prosecution of offenders and working in partnership with others both domestically and internationally.

Millions of people affected by the COVID-19 crisis are more vulnerable than ever to human trafficking. According to the “Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020”, which was recently released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human traffickers target the most vulnerable, such as migrants or the unemployed. The recession caused by COVID-19 may expose more people to the risk of human trafficking.

In 2018, for every 10 victims detected globally, about five were adult women and two were girls. Approximately 20% of victims were adult men and 15% were boys. Overall, 50% of victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 38% for forced labour, 6% for forced criminal activity and 1% for begging. In 2018, most women and girls were trafficked for sexual exploitation whereas men and boys were mostly trafficked for forced labour.

Let us look to Quebec and its support for victims. This is a crucial issue because compensation for victims of crime is Quebec's jurisdiction and victim services and assistance vary by province.

Recent efforts by Quebec's National Assembly do not specifically address the phenomenon of trafficking of persons but have looked at how to improve support for victims of sexual assault. The multi-party committee on support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence received the report and recommendations of an expert panel in December.

In short, the report set out the following recommendations: offer victims the ongoing support of a stable social worker, whether or not they choose to report the crime or press charges, including a meeting with that social worker before they report the offence or make any kind of formal statement to the police; integrate services for victims; provide psychosocial and judicial support in line with indigenous cultural values; give victims access to free legal advice as soon as they report the crime; ensure ongoing support and a consistent flow of information for victims at all stages of the legal process; accompany and support victims at the sentencing stage; be proactive and develop a quality service offer for perpetrators of violence; ensure consistency in the rulings of criminal, family and youth protection courts by creating a judicial coordinator position; establish a specialized court for sexual assault and intimate partner violence; develop specialized training on sexual assault and intimate partner violence for medical, psychosocial and legal stakeholders, police, lawyers, prosecutors and judges; take integrated action to address the overall problem; and bolster victims' confidence in the system.

These are great recommendations to ensure proper support for victims of violence, including victims of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

In conclusion, we would be wrong to think that human trafficking and modern-day slavery only affect people from abroad and that they happen on the fringes and outside the country. In fact, they are much more widespread than we think. One women's organization that our multi-party group recently spoke to reminded us that these individuals could just as easily be our daughters.

That is why it is high time, as suggested by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in its report on the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on women, that the Canadian government continue its efforts to draw up a national action plan to address the issues raised in “Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls”. This needs to happen as soon as possible.

As International Women's Day approaches, I would like to remind you that this year's theme for the Collectif 8 mars is “Let's listen to women”. As stated on its website, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a negative impact on women and exacerbating existing structural and systemic inequalities caused by the patriarchy, classism, racism and colonialism. The feminist struggle is far from over and we need to talk about it. That is why I believe that a day of awareness could serve this cause very well, providing more space for dialogue and highlighting an issue that we know far too little about and that has a greater impact on women and girls.

Today, we have the opportunity to come together beyond party lines to endorse an essential step in the fight against modern-day slavery and human trafficking. This national awareness day will finally make it possible for us to better understand this heinous crime, strongly speak out against it and fight it more effectively. We must act now.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to work with the hon. member on the all-party group.

Is the member aware of any initiatives in her constituency around combatting human trafficking, and if so, could she highlight those for us?

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Peace River—Westlock.

Last summer, I talked about an organization in my riding, a resource and help centre for victims of sexual assault, which we call a CALACS. This CALACS had launched programs to support survivors during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the federal government provides only project-by-project funding, not long-term funding, so lots of organizations with great ideas are having a hard time. They might have the time to launch their action plans and initiatives, but they do not have the funding they need to make those ideas a reality. Many women's groups and organizations that try to help victims and survivors, such as the Centre de femmes du Haut-Richelieu near me, are very unhappy about this situation.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member and I sit on the status of women committee together, and I feel like we are doing some really good work there.

I would love to build on a question that a colleague of the member had, in terms of choices for women. When women truly have choices, it means that they are brought out of poverty, they have affordable housing and they have social programs and structures around them.

Potentially, could the member elaborate on that and talk about what that would mean to a lot of women who are caught in exploitation?

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, with whom I am pleased to serve on the Standing Committee for the Status of Women.

Providing victims with choices, and lifting them out of poverty and the cycle of violence, is key and crucial. We heard from witnesses this summer who talked about the impacts of the pandemic on women. They illustrated how some women lost their jobs during the pandemic and some even had to think about changing careers. Many have become caught in a cycle of poverty, and that cycle of poverty often includes a cycle of violence. From speaking with survivors, I learned that it was often difficult to get out of sexual exploitation because they saw no way out. Without money and living on the street, it is hard to get out of that cycle.

I therefore think it is important to really think about how to provide the best kind of support in terms of programs and projects and show victims that they do have options and they can do something else. It is a question of helping them find jobs that will enable them to have the financial means to become independent and get out of that cycle of poverty and violence.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to commend my colleague for her very clear and heartfelt message.

In the past few weeks at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, we also made a lot of observations by looking at what is happening with Pornhub, as well as everything to do with slavery and mistreatment of women and minors, among others.

My colleague provided a tremendous amount of information. I hope the victims watching us have taken note of the recommendations, including the one to create an awareness day, in order to move forward and pass legislation to establish offences and help victims. I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about that. Often, as legislators, we have to ensure that laws are enforced.

For victims whose lives have been changed forever, what message would my colleague like to send to the victims watching us with regard to the next steps that are so pressing to them?

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Before we move on, I would ask the hon. member to move the microphone away from her mouth because there is a lot of interference.

The hon. member.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I tend to fiddle with my microphone a lot, and that causes interference. I apologize to the interpreters. We are thinking of them and trying to find solutions.

There was a lot in my colleague's question. First, I applaud her efforts at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics concerning the whole issue of Pornhub. I want her to know that I will be working with her as we move forward. I hope to have the opportunity to advance this file from a much more compassionate, female perspective, because the victims of these adult and child pornography sites are mostly women and underage girls. We are thinking of them. I plan on taking up the torch when my colleague finishes her work on the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics by addressing this issue from a much more compassionate, female perspective.

As for my message to victims, it is vital to recognize that there are still far too many preconceptions associated with the long-term effects of sexual violence on women and their memory. They experience post-traumatic shock. The message we need to send is that they need access to support that reflects all of this and that avoids possible preconceptions about victims. We will certainly need to restore victims' confidence in the legal system by ensuring that the officials they deal with understand the victims' realities, everything they have been through and the trauma they have endured. Above all, I think we need to put victims first, to ensure that they can regain confidence and that they feel heard.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I always say that human trafficking is happening within 10 miles of where we all are living. This is something I have been raising awareness about constantly over the last five years, and I am thankful for the opportunity to bring this forward today in the House.

I am wondering if my hon. colleague could talk about the efforts of the all-party group to bring this motion to this place today.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a consistent and ongoing effort by my colleagues in the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. My colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood also spoke about Bill S-216, which addresses another issue that has more to do with supply chains. We are therefore dealing with different issues.

As I said, we met with a group of women who talked to us about human trafficking and modern-day slavery. In my speech, I talked about the fact that this year's theme is listening. The all-party group is listening to groups that came to tell us about their reality. I want to recognize the work of my colleague from Peace River—Westlock, who has been raising this issue regularly for months now. We have met to discuss these realities. Steps have been taken with lawyers to see how we can better support victims. This group does outstanding work, and I am very pleased to be part of it.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her inspired speech. I am also happy to see colleagues from other parties responding positively to her work. I know she is a very dedicated MP who is very sincere in everything she does for vulnerable people, especially women.

I would like to come back to what I was saying earlier about work that MPs in previous Parliaments did. In the news recently, we heard about a blatant case of human trafficking involving an eight-year-old African girl who was brought here to be used as a sex slave by an older man. Nowadays, such things make our blood run cold. I feel an urgent need to do much more to tackle this phenomenon than just declare an awareness day.

As I recall, there was a bill in a previous Parliament that was passed and just needed royal assent. I would like to ask my colleague if she thinks that bill should be reintroduced and what she thinks of its provision reversing the onus of proof and placing it on the accused instead of the victim for very specific horrible crimes, such as human trafficking and sexual assault.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Drummond for his question, for his hard work. His question shows that he is aware of the plight of women and girls who have experienced sexual violence.

Today we are just taking one step. Designating an awareness day is one thing, but passing legislation on this issue is a whole other thing. I agree with my colleague's suggestion that we must bring back a bill that would address the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery.

However, I think we need to do a lot of work on rehabilitation. It is worth looking at the idea of a reverse onus, but we cannot disregard the key principle of our legal system that people are innocent until proven guilty. We will just have to be cautious and look at how to frame the reverse onus in some specific circumstances in the bill. Now that the awareness day is a done deal, we need a bill that will further address this issue.

There are a lot of concerns. Some laws exist, but we also need measures to protect victims. We need to study the scope of human trafficking, collect better data in Canada and Quebec, and ensure that judges and police officers make use of the provisions of the Criminal Code. We must also provide funding to community groups. In general, we need to define human trafficking as it relates to sexual exploitation and violence offences. All of this can be addressed in bills that would help combat these heinous crimes.