Status of Women committee  I understand. Thank you again for the question. I would say that, in general, there is always reticence to report for a variety of different reasons and a multiplicity of situations that surface. Most particularly, people who arrive through smuggling channels do not necessarily have legitimate status in Canada.

Status of Women committee  Thank you again for the question. Again, I appreciate your taking this line of questioning a bit more towards a mature response, because I think it's very important to raise some awareness of some of the supports and services that are available. I cannot speak on behalf of IRCC, other than to state the existence of a variety of different mechanisms that are in place to protect people who might have already been traumatized from being revictimized.

Status of Women committee  It's certainly a very difficult and complex question, because to provide awareness to people who are potentially being trafficked or who, I would surmise, at that stage are likely being smuggled into Canada.... It's very difficult to raise their awareness. What I would maybe state to address your question, as well as the previous question, is that raising awareness domestically is a really important part of this in ensuring that people are able to identify indicators after arrival in Canada.

Status of Women committee  If I had to respond, I'd say it's very difficult because there are a variety of different types of exploitation that, unfortunately, are used by prospective traffickers of humans. I've tried to learn as much as I can and will continue to learn about this, but there are a variety of different concepts that I think people misassociate with what I would term the “chains of modern slavery”.

Status of Women committee  I could provide some ideas related to foreign workers and the role that CBSA plays in providing validation inspections of potential foreign workers. Are people working extended hours? Are work sites cordoned off? Are people not allowed to talk to the public? Are they working weekends?

Status of Women committee  I thank the member for her question I guess I would say at the outset that I certainly appreciate that perspective, and again an appreciation for the statistics is very important. The CBSA unfortunately does not necessarily have the same domestic mandate in tracking or addressing issues of human trafficking or suspected cases and their prosecution.

Status of Women committee  Thank you for the question. I would certainly speak to the biggest challenge that we face from an agency perspective, which is that really this is a covert activity that occurs at the border points. It's very rare, if ever, that the evidence or indicators of trafficking in persons present at a port of entry on arrival.

Status of Women committee  Thank you very much. Greetings to all members of the committee. My name is Daniel Anson, Director General, Intelligence and Investigations, Canada Border Services Agency. I will only take a few minutes to clarify for the committee the Canada Border Services Agency’s role and responsibilities in identifying and combatting international human trafficking.