Justice committee  Look, if you've been picked up for communicating or for whatever the new section will be called, then you do have the sword of Damocles hanging over your head. Are the police going to lay a charge if you don't give up information on somebody or on something else? I don't think that's a helpful way to deal with the issue.

Justice committee  The prostitution diversion program continues to run in Manitoba, even though very few charges are being laid and very few threats of charges are being made. It is our intention that even if Bill C-36 passes as amended, we will continue to run that program, and we will be able to find victims of sexual exploitation who want to take that program.

Justice committee  Sure. I mean, one of the reasons I'm here as a Manitoban is that, of course, we have the tragedy of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Now, just so it's clear, not every aboriginal woman who goes missing or is murdered has been sexually exploited. But if you are an aboriginal women who is being sexually exploited, your odds are not good.

Justice committee  Agreed.

Justice committee  Yes.

Justice committee  That's right.

Justice committee  Let me talk a little about our current practice in Manitoba. If you're a buyer of sex and you get picked up by the police and you're charged under the current provisions of the Criminal Code, you have two options. You can follow the criminal option. You can show up in court, in which case you may get a very small fine.

Justice committee  With respect to the legislation, no, since we called for the Nordic model to come to Canada; we accept that there could be some additional costs. To some extent we think we can manage that. It will be our intention to continue running what we call john school, which is operated by the Salvation Army.

Justice committee  There are some big questions here. Back in the fall, at the ministers meeting in Whitehorse, I advanced on behalf of Manitoba our view that the Nordic model was the way to go. I wrote to Minister MacKay early in February. I know that MP Joy Smith and I had discussed it. I made sure every Manitoba MP got a copy of the letter.

Justice committee  It's true. I represent the inner west end of Winnipeg where there is street prostitution that takes place. I know there is other exploitation that takes place behind closed doors. Obviously, the challenges are huge, and we've tried to get at some of the issues. If somebody comes forward who says they've been on the streets and they need help, if the first thing we do is to take away their children, we're not actually getting anywhere.

Justice committee  I am thankful for the opportunity to be here to speak to the committee about Bill C-36. Finding the right way to reduce sexual exploitation in Canada is difficult, complex, and controversial. It's also vitally important. Bill C-36 deals with the legal gap resulting from the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the case of Bedford.

Justice committee  I know many communities have different approaches to try to deal with crime and justice issues. In Winnipeg, the civic government has set up a program called LiveSAFE, which I think would be very similar. We know that Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, has pioneered in Canada what we think is the cutting-edge approach to dealing with violence.

Justice committee  Yes, I believe it would. It's another step in the right direction. If we can describe it as denunciation or.... What I prefer to call it is a guaranteed consequence. If a gang member is caught recruiting a young person into a gang, they know there will be a consequence. I know we've had some discussion of “Wouldn't they get around it?”

Justice committee  Again, public safety has a cost. We know in Manitoba that we are shouldering more of that responsibility as the years go by. I'll have a chance to meet with Minister Nicholson later on today, and I'll be repeating some of the things we've raised, both publicly and privately, on Manitoba's behalf.

Justice committee  In terms of other changes to the Criminal Code, there are a couple of outstanding items we can talk about another day. Certainly I think the police are looking for us to continue to work on those individuals at the top of the pyramid, those who control criminal organizations and gangs, the ones who really decide to have members follow the things that George was talking about, in terms of which youth to prey on and to pursue.