House of Commons Hansard #59 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was expropriation.
A message from His Excellency the Administrator of the Government of Canada transmitting supplementary estimates (C) for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the Speaker to the House.
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the supplementary estimates (C), 2020-21.
Scott Simms Liberal Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the first part of the 2021 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE, by video conference, from January 25 to 28, 2021.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group.
The first report relates to the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures held in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., from August 5 to 8, 2019.
The second report concerns the annual national conference of the Council of State Governments, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S., from December 4 to 7, 2019.
Wayne Easter Liberal Malpeque, PE
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Finance, entitled “Investing in Tomorrow: Canadian Priorities for Economic Growth and Recovery”, the pre-budget consultation report prior to the 2021 budget, as ordered by the House.
It was a somewhat difficult trail to get to the conclusion of this report. COVID happened, scheduling changed and Zoom capacity in Parliament made it very difficult to find enough time. I want to thank the many organizations and individuals who submitted briefs, some 793 prior to mid-August, and also thank those who appeared over the summer on COVID-19, and the witnesses who were able to appear in the fall. A special thanks to members of all parties who put a lot of hard work and endurance into completing this task, and a very special thanks to the analysts with the Library of Parliament and the clerks who helped to finish this process.
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the membership of the committees of the House.
If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence later this day.
Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON
Mr. Speaker, I move that the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier this day, be concurred in.
(Motion agreed to)
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
There being no dissenting voice, I declare the motion carried.
(Motion agreed to)
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, I am sure you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That the membership of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be amended as follows: Mr. Nater (Perth—Wellington) for Mr. Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George), and Mr. Kent (Thornhill) for Mr. Tochor (Saskatoon—University).
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
There being no dissenting voice, I declare the motion carried.
(Motion agreed to)
Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion:
That, notwithstanding any Standing Order, special order or usual practice of the House, the time provided for Government Orders shall end no later than 5:30 p.m. today.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
I declare the motion carried.
(Motion agreed to)
Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
moved:
That the second report of the Standing Committee on Status of Women presented on Thursday, February 4, 2021, be concurred in.
Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Peace River—Westlock.
I am pleased to rise today to voice my support for declaring February 22 as national human trafficking awareness day. Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or exercising control, discretion or influence over the movement of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is often described as a modern form of slavery.
Human trafficking is not something Canadians think of often, if at all. When we do, we often think that this horrendous and dehumanizing crime is being committed elsewhere in the world: somewhere that is less fortunate and that lacks effective law enforcement. However, as the Conservative shadow minister for Women and Gender Equality, I have learned from several of my colleagues, including the member for Peace River—Westlock, and from stakeholders and organizations across the country just how vast the human trafficking network is in Canada.
Statistics Canada's 2018 report on human trafficking indicated that 90% of human trafficking in Canada was reported in census metropolitan areas, and that 97% of victims are women and girls with 74% of them being under the age of 25. Of that 74%, 28% were under the age of 18. These numbers are absolutely horrifying and break my heart. These are not just numbers. These numbers represent somebody's daughter, son, grandson, granddaughter, niece or nephew. No one underage, particularly those who are trafficked, has the ability to consent to sexual acts or exploitation.
When I look at my party's record on this issue, I am grateful that we have taken this issue seriously and made significant overhauls to our Criminal Code to address this very serious crime. The member for Haldimand—Norfolk, during her tenure as the minister for Citizenship and Immigration and as minister for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, introduced several changes to the temporary foreign worker program and the immigration act to prevent situations where temporary workers in Canada, including strippers, might be abused, exploited or possibly become victims of human trafficking.
In 2010 and 2012, former member of Parliament Joy Smith introduced and passed two private member's bills: Bill C-268 , minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years, and Bill C-310, trafficking in persons. Bill C-268 amended the Criminal Code and set mandatory minimums for those who were convicted of trafficking anyone under the age of 18, while Bill C-310 addressed a major loophole in our Criminal Code and made sure that Canadians or permanent residents who went abroad for the purpose of exploiting or trafficking foreign individuals would be brought back to Canada for prosecution.
In 2012, our Conservative government launched a four-year national action plan to combat human trafficking. This included Canada's first integrated law enforcement team dedicated to combatting human trafficking, and increased frontline training to identify and respond to human trafficking, enhanced prevention in vulnerable communities, provided more supports for victims of this crime, both those who are Canadians and foreigners, and strengthened our coordination with domestic and international partners in combatting human trafficking.
Our Conservative government also recognized that the majority of people who are trafficked are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This is why, when our government had to revisit Canada's law regarding prostitution and pass Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, we put a heavy focus on protecting these victims.
Until this law was passed, those forced into the sex trade were often treated as criminals by the law instead of being treated as the victims. This law was a made-in-Canada approach recognizing that those who sell sexual services are often victims of human trafficking and often underage. We recognized those people as victims of a more heinous crime, and instead of further victimizing the victim, our Conservative government focused on the pimps and the johns. This included those convicted of procuring, recruiting or harbouring another person for the purpose of prostitution, with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. If the victim was a child, the penalty carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
We have done a lot to address human trafficking in Canada and stand up for the vulnerable in our society. However, there is still much more work that needs to be done.
Despite all of our hard work as parliamentarians, human trafficking is still a growing crime in Canada and remains very much below the public radar. At the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, one of the facts we have constantly heard from witnesses is the importance of raising awareness to help combat the prevalence of human trafficking. That is why I strongly support declaring a national awareness day. It would give us an opportunity to create an awareness campaign to educate Canadians that this crime happens and happens locally. It would show them the signs of someone who is being or is about to be trafficked and how to report that to the authorities.
The time is now to act on this very important issue. It has been over 16 years since Canada added human trafficking offences to the Criminal Code and 14 years since the House unanimously adopted a motion to condemn all forms of human trafficking and slavery.
The motion also calls for making February 22 the day to be declared national human trafficking awareness day. I believe this is the best and most practical day to use. The Provinces of Ontario and Alberta already use February 22 as the day to bring awareness provincially. Also, the government's own special adviser for combatting human trafficking has said that they would like to see this day declared as the national human trafficking awareness day.
There are several motions from all parties on the Order Paper: Motion No. 45 from the Conservative member for Peace River—Westlock, seconded by the Bloc member for Shefford; Motion No. 59 from the NDP member for Edmonton Strathcona, seconded by the Green member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith; and Motion No. 57 from the Liberal member for Scarborough—Guildwood, seconded by the Green member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith. All of their motions call for the House to condemn all forms of human trafficking and slavery, promote awareness, take steps toward combatting human trafficking and declare February 22 as national human trafficking awareness day.
Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative and quickly growing crimes in Canada. I hope all members of the House will agree with me and join me in declaring February 22 as national human trafficking awareness day.
Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the aisle highlighted the fact that a lot of people assume human trafficking is not something that can happen right here in our own communities. The reality of the situation is, as the data shows, that it can happen in my community, in her community and in communities right across Canada, and that it is actually happening.
If she had one message for families and people responsible for children so they become aware of this issue and recognize that it is a reality, what would that message be?
Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
Mr. Speaker, the message would be that it is Canadian children and children from everywhere in the world who are being trafficked. This is not a message limited to Canadians; it is a message for the world. We need to protect our children, and awareness is the first step toward that. We should make sure we have a campaign, set on this day, to talk about becoming aware of the situation, how to identify where trafficking is about to happen and how to take steps to notify authorities so that it does not happen.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, quite bluntly, government and Parliament love symbols, so if we have a national day on human trafficking, we are all going to feel better. However, I have found that while we have laws on the books, nobody follows those laws. We are talking about having a national day to talk about this issue, when we are dealing with a company like Pornhub, which is owned by MindGeek, in Montreal. When I look at the Criminal Code, I see we have all the laws, but they have never ever been applied.
Would it not be better to spend our time in Parliament pushing to make sure we actually followed through with laws so that people who are victims of trafficking and sexual crimes know that Parliament will be there for them and that the laws we have on the books are being used to protect victims?
Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the purpose of setting February 22 as a national awareness day to talk about these things. We pushed for this motion to be passed last year, but it did not happen. We are already a year late. Let us get on with it and pass this motion to declare February 22 as the national human trafficking day.
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is indeed 2021. Proposals were put forward in previous Parliaments, including a bill introduced in the 41st Parliament that did not receive royal assent.
A national day is a day that causes us to reflect, but what does my colleague think of the urgent need to enforce laws and modernize them to put a stop to all this?
Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is urgency that has brought this motion to the House. As I said, we are already about a year late in setting a day to talk about human trafficking and creating a campaign to deal with it. There was urgency a year ago, and to wait any longer makes this even more urgent.
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to this important concurrence motion moved by the member for Calgary Skyview. I would like to thank her for her work and the status of women committee for its work on this important issue.
Today we are discussing the recognition of February 22 as Canada's national human trafficking awareness day. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that turns people into objects to be used and exploited. It is vicious, profitable and growing, and it is happening right here in our country and across the globe. It takes on many forms such as sex trafficking, forced labour, forced marriages, organ trafficking and cybersex trafficking.
While exploitation and slavery have existed for all of humanity, so has the responsibility to abolish it. In the 8th century BC, the prophet Isaiah brought God's words to the people of his time, saying they should:
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
The responsibility to stand for justice and exploitation is a responsibility for all of us.
Here in Canada, human trafficking remains far too common. Within our ridings and across the nation, each day, more and more people fall victim to traffickers in Canada. I often say that human trafficking is happening within 10 miles of where one lives. Even in my large rural, northern Alberta riding, human trafficking is taking place. Last year, the RCMP charged a 30-year-old man from La Crete, Alberta, with trafficking of a minor.
In Canada, 93% of Canada's human trafficking victims come from within Canada. The predominant form of human trafficking in Canada is sex trafficking. We know that in Canada, 97% of sex trafficking victims are women and girls. Three-quarters of these victims are under the age of 25. Fifty percent of these victims are indigenous, and 75% of those in prostitution were forced into it as children.
Many examples of forced labour also exist in Canada. Victims of human trafficking can be found in restaurants, in the agriculture industry, in the mining sector, as live-in caregivers, or in the manufacturing industry. Just two years ago here in Ontario, over 20 men from Mexico were rescued from forced labour within the hospitality industry, enslaved in plain sight within hotels.
Globally, more than 40 million people are in some form of slavery today. That is more than the population of our country and more than ever in human history. Worldwide, slavery is a multi-billion dollar industry that generates more than $150 billion annually. These global and national numbers are truly terrifying. It is incumbent upon each of us to help end it.
That is why the designation of February 22 as Canada's national human trafficking awareness day by this House would matter. This is important because ending human trafficking cannot be done merely by governments alone. It requires the participation of all of us.
By adopting this motion, this House would not only be recognizing February 22, but also encouraging Canadians to hear from victims and survivors of human trafficking, raise awareness of the magnitude of modern-day slavery here in Canada and around the world, and to take steps to be able to identity and combat human trafficking.
As a national day of human trafficking evokes in all of us the responsibility to learn, educate and act, the words of this motion point to this individual and collective responsibility as a nation. That is why the all-party group to end modern-day slavery here in Canada, the APPG, has been hard at work to get February 22 designated as the national day of awareness. This date recognizes the unanimous adoption by this House of former MP Joy Smith's Motion No. 153, which happened back in 2007. That motion condemned the trafficking of women and girls, and called for Canada to combat the trafficking of persons worldwide. Joy Smith was the trailblazer in the fight to end human trafficking and is an inspiration to many of us today.
The APPG also consulted organizations and survivors from across Canada and the selection of February 22 was close to unanimous. The APPG co-chairs have produced motions since 2018 to designate February 22 as a national day of human trafficking awareness, and members will notice that currently there are three motions on the Order Paper tabled by Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Bloc and Green MPs, which is all five parties.
I would like to thank my fellow co-chairs for their relentless work: the member for Scarborough—Guildwood, the member for Shefford and independent Senator Miville-Dechêne. Each has worked hard to advance the recognition of February 22 as national human trafficking awareness day. I was delighted to see the status of women committee improve our wording by adding the necessity to listen to victims and survivors. Their voices are critical.
I would like to share with this House, and all Canadians, the words of Timea Nagy, a tenacious Canadian survivor and hero, who said, “Having a national human trafficking awareness day would mean that we are no longer invisible to society and to the Canadian people. It would mean that more people would finally learn about this terrible crime and how to protect their children. It would mean that we are taking serious [action]...to eradicate this in our lifetime.”
An awareness day for human trafficking would bring us together as a nation to end modern-day slavery. It is a fight that unites us across political lines, and despite religious beliefs and geographical divides. Working together on this actually works.
We have seen this right here in Parliament with Bill S-216, an act to enact the modern slavery act. This bill is a result of the work of my colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood. It was introduced in the Senate by our Senate co-chair and supported by all APPG chairs. If we, a Conservative, a Liberal, a Bloc Québécois and an independent senator, can come together, I have great confidence in our country to unite and abolish human trafficking.
I want to challenge Canadians with four things they could do on Canada's national human trafficking awareness day: learn, share, act and support. Number one is to learn more about it. What does it looks like in one's community or province? Would Canadians be able to identify a victim of human trafficking? Do they know of the national human trafficking tip line? All Canadians should visit The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking website to learn more about awareness that can lead to action.
Number two is to share, to tell other people about it. Joy Smith always says that, when it comes to human trafficking, education is our greatest weapon. Canadians can organize webinars for their churches, communities or workplaces. I would be happy to speak at that webinar, and I am sure that any of the APPG co-chairs would as well.
Number three is to act, to take steps to eliminate one's role in the fuel for the demand of slavery. Do Canadians know who harvested their coffee or the clothes they buy? Do they know that looking at pornography likely involves victims of sex trafficking? Canadians should make sure the choices in their lives reduce the demand for human trafficking.
Number four is to support. There are incredible organizations across this country that are fuelled by passionate individuals who are hard at work to end human trafficking and support survivors. They would benefit from people's time and support.
Recognizing human trafficking awareness day on February 22 would give voice to survivors, increase awareness, and unite Canadians in their efforts to abolish human trafficking and modern-day slavery in our time. I want to thank all the individuals who have worked tirelessly with me over the last number of years to bring forward an awareness day for human trafficking in this country and all of the organizations that work hard in their communities to end modern-day slavery.
One of the organizations I would like to highlight is the #NotInMyCity campaign headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The ambassador for that program is a country music singer everyone may have heard of named Paul Brandt, who has done amazing work in bringing together all sectors of Canadian society to end human trafficking in Calgary. One of its really cool partners is the Calgary International Airport. One of the universities is also on board and helps out. It has been amazing project, and I want to congratulate them on that.
The other organization that I would like to recognize is called CEASE. It is located in Edmonton, Alberta. It does amazing work helping trafficked victims get back to a normal life and reintegrate into Canadian society.
Finally, I want to thank the member for Calgary Skyview for her advocacy on this and her work at the committee to bring this forward. When we all work together, we can accomplish great things. I want to thank the House and colleagues I have worked with across party lines to bring this forward.
John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for his tireless efforts.
I ask him to reflect on one of the previous questions, which was to the effect that this is simply a day where we would raise awareness, and whether this is an effort that is not as vigorous as it possibly should be. In the context of Black History Month, 10 or 15 years ago, it was simply not recognized. Now it has had a significant impact on raising Canadians' awareness about the contributions of Black people to our country.
I am interested in his thoughts on how he expects this initiative of recognizing February 22 to roll out over the course of the next number of months, years and possibly decades.
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Mr. Speaker, I know the question hon. member is referring to. The member for Timmins—James Bay made the comment, and he was entirely correct. We have very good laws in this country to capture and build the society we want, but in many cases they are not being enforced or the police forces just purely do not have the bandwidth to enforce them. Therefore, an awareness day would allow each and every Canadian to do their part.
If human trafficking is not happening in Canada, we would not need really good laws to combat it. If it is just not happening, it is just not happening. An awareness day would really say that this is the law and that this is happening right here. Both those things are not necessarily widely known by Canadians. An awareness day would bring that awareness to the issue.
Martin Champoux Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague on his speech. There is no question that this is a sensitive subject.
In 2002, the House of Commons ratified the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
Every year, July 30 marks the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It is now being proposed that we hold a national awareness day, and I think that is an excellent idea.
As my colleague said, former MP Joy Smith moved a motion in that regard in 2012. Then, Bloc Québécois MP Maria Mourani introduced a bill that passed through all stages except royal assent. At the time, the Harper government failed to complete the process. In 2015, the Liberal government failed to keep its promise to take up where we left off with that bill.
If we proposed to examine a bill that addresses many of our concerns regarding human trafficking, would my colleague and his party agree to that?
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Mr. Speaker, I know well the bill that the member speaks of, as it was one I advocated for immensely. The Liberals took the consecutive sentencing out of it, made it concurrent sentencing and waited three and a half years to bring it in.
The concern my colleague raises is a valid one. That bill should have been brought into force as soon as possible. The bill was passed in this place in 2014. It was supposed to be declared in force in early 2015, but it only happened until Bill C-75, which was at the end of the last Parliament.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I have had the honour to work with my colleague on the committee addressing human trafficking. I am very much in favour of the motion today. I appreciate the member for Peace River—Westlock mentioning things that individual Canadians can do.
Can the member underscore what people can do individually to end human trafficking?