The Conservatives said if re-elected they will establish new RCMP human trafficking teams in four Canadian cities: Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
“I’m proud of our record to raise awareness and take action against the terrible scourge of human trafficking,” said Stephen Harper, the Conservative leader, in a news release sent to CTV News.
“We need to do even more to keep young women out of the hands of predatory criminal gangs and make our streets and communities safer.”
“The Conservatives talk a big game about law and order but systematically fail to address the underlying causes that make women vulnerable to traffickers. The Liberal Party of Canada will bring a holistic approach to the fight against human trafficking, including tackling issues like poverty, lack of opportunity and insufficient affordable housing,” said Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal candidate in Winnipeg North.
“For instance, we will immediately launch a national public inquiry into the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, many of whom were and continue to be victims of trafficking,” said Lamoureux.
The NDP said they support measures that will fight human trafficking.
“Tom Mulcair has a plan to put 2,500 more police officers on our streets, which means we have the officers we need to keep our communities safe at the same time as we fight human trafficking. The Conservative plan could mean taking officers away from away violent crime, stopping street gangs, or keeping guns off of our streets, because unless they are adding new officers, their plan will mean taking police off of the beats they’re on,” said a spokesperson for the NDP.
“The trafficking of human beings is an affront to all humans. We must step up policing resources, social programs, and help for those who have essentially been enslaved," said Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party.
"I support more police for confronting human trafficking. The focus on terrorism has pulled police off this and other work. We need to accelerate implementation of the DNA data bank within the RCMP,” said May.
Harper made the announcement Sunday, to renew the Human Trafficking Action Plan for an additional five years.
He also promised to double existing funding to help victims of human trafficking reintegrate into society.
Harper said February 22 would be established as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
