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MP's human trafficking bill survives Bloc amendment

By: Mia Rabson

Posted: 09/30/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

OTTAWA -- Manitoba MP Joy Smith's quest to have child sex traffickers hit with mandatory minimum sentences survived a challenge Tuesday when a Bloc Québécois amendment to her bill was defeated.

The Bloc had tried to remove the mandatory minimums from Smith's private member's bill, which would have made the bill itself useless.

The amendment was defeated late Tuesday and the House of Commons will be called to vote on the bill for a final time today.

The legislation creates a new offence for trafficking of people under 18 and sets five years as the mandatory minimum sentence upon conviction. The bill sets six years as the minimum sentence for trafficking minors with aggravating factors such as sexual assault.

Currently convictions of human trafficking don't separate victims by age. The maximum sentence is 14 years (life with aggravating factors) but there is no minimum.

Smith says too many convictions under the law since it came into effect almost five years ago have seen sentences far shorter than five years.

The legislation has been making its way through the cumbersome private members' process since February and has been helped several times by other Conservative MPs giving up debating time for their bills to allow Smith's on the floor ahead of schedule.

During debate on the legislation Tuesday, several Conservative MPs and a Liberal spoke in favour of the bill, but one Bloc and one NDP MP did not.

The Liberals who supported the bill, including Manitoba MP Anita Neville, have said they want the government to develop a national strategy on human trafficking including prevention, awareness and help for victims.

Human trafficking, sometimes referred to as the modern-day slave trade, is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons" using threats, force, fraud or deception. Most of the victims are women, about half are minors and about 70 per cent are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Others end up in forced-labour situations, often as domestic help or low-level workers in drug operations.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 30, 2009 A7

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