Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to mark Canada’s first National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Human trafficking is not something Canadians think of often, if at all, and when we do, we often think that this horrendous and dehumanizing crime is being committed elsewhere in the world. However, human trafficking happens right here in our own backyards. One in three victims of human trafficking are being trafficked by an intimate partner, and this crime is quickly becoming the most lucrative crime in Canada. This is why it is important for us to raise awareness, to let Canadians know that human trafficking does exist here in Canada, to recognize the signs of a person being trafficked and to report it to local law enforcement.
I encourage all members of this House and all Canadians to visit the government’s website to learn more about human trafficking and help put a stop to this disturbing and dehumanizing crime.