Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. I was just saying that deepening the engagement of governments with trafficking victims is critical, both in the source countries and in the destination countries. I think engaging legislators is something that we haven't seen enough of, and it could really play a role in de

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, we certainly do see access to cheap capital as a solution. In some cases it's about creating viable vocational training. That may be teaching seamstressing or something that's viable in a particular region to give someone a livelihood, but in other cases it's about social en

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  It's a very interesting question. We were talking last week with a group of women about whether they would be interested in buying a cotton mill in an area in South Asia. That would mean a direct investment. I'm not aware of any purchasing of specific businesses within the existi

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Slavery is an incredibly complex crime and actually requires systemic change. There's just not one silver bullet. There's not one rescue or one reform that will change it. It does require a role for Canadian aid through economic development programs and the access to capital th

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The first thing I would say is that human trafficking is a criminal trade, and it's estimated that profit is at $150 billion per year, so there's money changing hands with recruiters. One of the preconditions we spoke about earlier for slavery to thrive is definitely corruption.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I believe that the supply chain legislation that was begun with the Modern Slavery Act and has gone through Australia enables us to put the responsibility on businesses for every layer of their supply chains, right down to the cotton that's milled, which we spoke about earlier. T

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. Really quickly, and touching on some of the other questions as well, aid and trade and border control are really critical elements to these, but we at the Freedom Fund definitely believe that the early, easy reach to some of the people I spoke about earlier, those de

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  You're correct to say it's economic migration or migrating because you're coming from a desperately poor village and moving to a neighbouring country. For example, you're a Cambodian going to Thailand or an Ethiopian going to the Middle East. That is often why people end up in ex

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. I would want to talk a bit chiefly about Canadian companies and their responsibilities. I think there's a distinct role for them to play in the reforming of supply chains. On my trip to South Asia last week, I was pleased to go with a Canadian company, Lush cosmetics. They

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would defer to IJMC on these things. They're the experts in the field of online exploitation, particularly in the Philippines.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you very much. It's nice to be with a group of people who use “iffy” as a word. Hello and bonjour. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and other dignitaries there. I'd like to thank the committee for allowing me to appear today. It's an honour to discuss the critical issue of