National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking Bill
Second Reading
May 26, 2026
Honourable senators, I rise today as the sponsor of Bill S-235, the “National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking Act,” which represents a critical step forward in Canada’s ongoing commitment to end one of the most heinous crimes of our time — human trafficking.
This legislation reflects the ongoing non-partisan work of the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, of which I am a member and on which our colleague Senator Miville-Dechêne serves as co-chair.
Colleagues, human trafficking is not a distant problem occurring only in faraway places. It is happening here, in our communities, across every province and territory in this country. It is a crime that tears families apart, destroys lives and exploits the most vulnerable among us.
Over the past two decades, Canada has undertaken considerable work to combat human trafficking. The most recent of this was the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking in 2019. This five-year strategy, which expired at the end of 2024, represented a significant investment of over $56 million initially and over $10 million annually thereafter, coordinating efforts across multiple federal departments and agencies.
Canada has also been active on the international stage, engaging through the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the G7, the G20 and numerous other multilateral forums. However, despite this progress, critical gaps that threaten to undermine Canada’s ability to effectively combat human trafficking remain.
The most fundamental gap is the lack of a statutory obligation to maintain and update the national strategy. The 2019-24 national strategy expired at the end of 2024, and there is no legal requirement ensuring its continuation, renewal or regular review. This creates uncertainty for survivors, service providers and law enforcement agencies, who depend on stable, predictable federal coordination and funding. Without legislative backing, the national strategy exists at the discretion of the government of the day, vulnerable to changes in priorities, budget constraints or political transitions.
Second, the June 2024 Horizontal Evaluation of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking identified significant data gaps as a critical barrier to understanding the true extent of human trafficking in Canada. Current reporting relies heavily on police-reported data, which captures only a fraction of trafficking incidents due to significant under-reporting. Victims and survivors often do not report to police due to fear of reprisal, distrust of authorities, concerns about deportation or because they do not recognize themselves as victims.
Without robust, disaggregated data-collection systems that capture information beyond police reports, Canada cannot develop evidence-based policies or measure the effectiveness of interventions.
The evaluation noted that “. . . there is a significant need to increase reporting efforts to address data gaps.”
Third, despite legislative provisions carrying penalties up to life imprisonment, prosecution and conviction rates for human trafficking remain alarmingly low. Statistics Canada reported that of nearly 4,000 incidents reported to police from 2012 to 2022, only 40% resulted in charges being laid. More troubling still, only 11% of completed adult criminal court cases resulted in guilty decisions. A staggering 83% of the cases ended with charges being stayed, withdrawn, dismissed or discharged.
These statistics reveal systemic challenges in the criminal justice response.
Successful prosecution depends heavily on victim testimony, but survivors face immense barriers to participating in court proceedings. The process can take up to 358 days or longer, requiring survivors to relive their trauma repeatedly through testimony and cross-examination. Survivors’ credibility is often questioned due to factors related to their vulnerability — such as substance use, homelessness, mental health issues and inconsistencies in recall due to trauma — or because they were coerced into criminal activity during their exploitation.
Many victims disappear before trial, recant testimony due to ongoing coercion or fear or are unable to participate due to retraumatization caused by court proceedings. The current system places the burden of proof primarily on survivors rather than employing trauma-informed, survivor-centred approaches that could increase successful prosecutions while protecting victims’ dignity and well-being.
Fourth, there is insufficient coordination across jurisdictions. Human trafficking is a crime that crosses municipal, provincial, territorial and international boundaries, yet Canada’s response remains fragmented. While the federal government has established coordinating mechanisms, like the Human Trafficking Taskforce and the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Trafficking in Persons Working Group, coordination gaps persist.
Different provinces and territories have varying levels of resources, training and investigative capacity to address trafficking. Some jurisdictions — like Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia — have dedicated provincial strategies with substantial funding, while others lack comprehensive frameworks. This inconsistency means that a victim’s access to protection and support — or a perpetrator’s likelihood of prosecution — depends significantly on geographic location.
The 2024 engagement sessions conducted by Public Safety Canada revealed that stakeholders consistently called for improved interjurisdictional collaboration and information sharing.
Survivors emphasized that:
This lack of coordination creates massive gaps in survivor support, law enforcement, and prevention efforts and traffickers know this and exploit these weaknesses.
Fifth, and perhaps most critically, Canada’s anti-trafficking efforts have not adequately centred on the voices and expertise of survivors. The 2019-24 national strategy committed to establishing a survivor advisory committee comprised of individuals with lived experience of human trafficking. As of April 2024, despite drafted materials, this committee had not been established.
The evaluation concluded that:
Adopting a victim-centered and survivor-informed strategy ensures that the rights and dignity of victims, including their well-being and safety, are at the forefront of all efforts . . . .
The February 2024 report from the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women emphasized the critical importance of ensuring that Canada’s anti-trafficking strategy is “. . . intersectional and developed in collaboration with victims, survivors and those with lived experience.”
Furthermore, colleagues, while Canada has primarily focused on sex trafficking, other forms of exploitation remain under-addressed.
Labour trafficking affects migrant workers, international students, temporary foreign workers and others in precarious immigration situations across sectors including agriculture, construction, hospitality, manufacturing and personal services. Yet labour trafficking remains significantly under-reported and under-investigated, with fewer resources devoted to detection, investigation and prosecution compared to sex trafficking.
Emerging forms of trafficking, including forced criminality — where individuals are coerced into illegal activities such as theft, shoplifting, drug dealing and weapons trafficking — are increasingly recognized but poorly understood. Forced marriage, surrogacy and pregnancy as well as trafficking of young men and boys also require greater attention and targeted responses.
Finally, there is a lack of sufficient, long-term, stable funding to better support community organizations.
Colleagues, Bill S-235 directly addresses these critical gaps by providing statutory force to Canada’s commitment to combat human trafficking. Let me outline the key provisions and how they respond to identified needs.
Subclause 3(1) of Bill S-235 requires the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to maintain and update the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking. This statutory obligation ensures continuity, stability and accountability regardless of political transitions or changing priorities.
The national strategy will no longer be discretionary. It will be a legislated requirement.
The bill specifies that the national strategy must aim to end human trafficking, address the harms suffered by individuals with lived experience and enhance support for survivors. This victim-centred language enshrines Canada’s commitment to prioritizing the well-being of those most affected.
Subclause 3(2) of the bill requires the minister to make every reasonable effort to ensure that the national strategy provides for the fulfillment of Canada’s obligations under key international instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
By explicitly referencing these treaties, Bill S-235 ensures that Canada’s domestic efforts are aligned with international standards and best practices, reinforcing our commitment to a comprehensive, rights-based approach.
Subclause 3(3) of Bill S-235 outlines detailed measures that the national strategy must include, addressing the full spectrum of anti-trafficking efforts. For example, the strategy must include measures to empower individuals with lived experience to regain independence and reintegrate into communities, taking into account factors that affect recovery. It must also promote sufficient investment in measures and services to support survivors.
It must increase prevention efforts by expanding community awareness through targeted campaigns and addressing the root causes of exploitation.
It must protect vulnerable groups, including Indigenous, Black and Asian women and girls, at-risk youth and migrants. The strategy must increase the capacity of the criminal justice system to identify and prosecute human trafficking cases using a trauma‑informed approach.
It must expand partnerships by building and improving national and international coordination and cooperation. It must create and maintain a website consolidating research findings, information on human trafficking and resources for Canadians to address trafficking in their communities.
It must also ensure that federal government employees are provided with ongoing, trauma-informed training and resources, addressing the multi-sectoral training gap.
It must monitor progress through clear objectives and timelines, ensuring accountability and evidence-based decision making. It must ensure that the members of the survivor advisory committee and the Chief Advisor to Combat Human Trafficking are individuals with lived experience.
Clause 4 of the bill establishes a mandatory review process requiring the minister to undertake a comprehensive review of the national strategy within two years of the act coming into force and every five years thereafter. This provision ensures that the strategy remains responsive to the evolving nature of human trafficking and incorporates emerging evidence and best practices.
Clause 4 also mandates that reviews be conducted with the paramount principles of promoting and protecting human rights and pursuing a trauma-informed approach. The review must take into account consultation results and must include a statement of any changes to be made to the national strategy. The report must be tabled in both houses of Parliament and published on the department’s website within 10 days, ensuring transparency and parliamentary oversight.
Clause 5 of Bill S-235 requires the minister to prepare an annual report on the implementation of the national strategy and progress on efforts to combat human trafficking. This report must be completed within three months after the end of each fiscal year and tabled in both houses of Parliament.
Colleagues, Bill S-235 is not merely administrative or symbolic; it is transformative legislation that will fundamentally strengthen Canada’s ability to combat human trafficking. By providing statutory force to the national strategy, this bill ensures that Canada’s commitment to ending human trafficking will continue, regardless of changes in government, budgetary pressures or shifting political priorities.
This stability is essential for building long-term capacity, fostering partnerships, developing expertise and achieving measurable progress toward ending human trafficking. Bill S-235 brings human trafficking out of the shadows by creating transparency, accountability and sustained commitment. It recognizes that ending trafficking requires more than laws and law enforcement.
The evaluation evidence is clear: Canada has made progress, but critical gaps remain. Some may argue that we cannot legislate away human trafficking, and they would be correct. Laws alone will not end this crime, but laws can create the frameworks, accountability and sustained commitment necessary to support the comprehensive, coordinated, evidence-based efforts that will end trafficking.
Bill S-235 does exactly that. It provides the legislative foundation for realizing this vision. It is not the end of our work; it is a critical step forward that will enable all the work that must follow.
Colleagues, I urge you to support Bill S-235. Support it for the survivors who have courageously shared their experiences and called for sustained commitment. Support it for service providers, law enforcement officers, health care workers, educators and community organizations working every day to identify victims and support survivors. Support it for the vulnerable individuals — Indigenous women and children, newcomers, youth, migrant workers and others — who face heightened risks and deserve our protection. Support it because it is the right thing to do, because it will save lives, because it will prevent exploitation, because it will create accountability and because it represents Canada at our best — committed, compassionate, coordinated and unwavering in our dedication to justice, dignity and human rights for all.
Thank you.
Honourable senators, I am rising as the friendly critic of Bill S-235, which was sponsored by my colleague, Senator Salma Ataullahjan. This bill has to do with the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking.
Human trafficking is a serious problem. It is also a crime that is hard to detect because it often takes place behind closed doors and because every effort is made to hide these schemes to sexually exploit young women and girls and to exploit illegal workers who are recruited abroad and underpaid under the table by companies in the industrial, service and agricultural sectors. It is often difficult to prove that human trafficking is taking place.
In the case of sex trafficking, traffickers recruit their victims by showering them with gifts or affection, making them promises and then using violent behaviour to control them. This is the most common form of trafficking in Canada, and the number of trafficking cases reported to the police has been growing over the past 10 years.
In January, the government appointed its first Chief Advisor to Combat Human Trafficking, Jennifer Richardson, who is a survivor herself and who worked very closely with Indigenous communities.
Unfortunately, Ms. Richardson stepped down in December, less than a year after she was appointed, which worries me. What happened? Why hasn’t a replacement been appointed? Is the government serious about combatting human trafficking?
I look forward to reading Ms. Richardson’s as yet unpublished final report and her recommendations.
It is very difficult to ascertain the actual results of this federal strategy, so it is clear that pressure must be brought to bear on the system. As co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, I was one of those who met with Chief Advisor Richardson.
She faced a huge challenge: making her voice heard within the government.
This strong woman was only just beginning to get the hang of the difficult task of motivating and bringing together all of the many stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking, including Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Women and Gender Equality Canada. With six departments involved, it is quite a challenge.
She had recently completed a tour of the provinces and the non-governmental organizations that are doing the fieldwork.
To prevent all this from ending up in a bureaucratic quagmire, Bill S-235 proposes that the national strategy prioritize the victims of trafficking, for example, by following through on a long-standing commitment to create a survivor advisory committee.
I’ve met with survivors. They have been vocal in calling for the creation of a committee for years, because they believe that their voices are not being heard or adequately recognized and that other people are making decisions without consulting them meaningfully.
This bill contains another important item: It requires that the minister responsible review the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking every five years and table a report in the House. The review has to include public consultations with stakeholders — especially individuals with lived experience of human trafficking, as Senator Ataullahjan mentioned — and with provincial governments, which have developed their own human trafficking initiatives.
Without a serious evaluation of the efforts that are being made, it is not possible to critique them and make progress. The bill also lists about 10 paramount principles that the minister must follow when conducting the review, such as ensuring there is adequate financial support for victims, promoting efforts to address the root causes of human trafficking and adopting a trauma-informed approach.
Human trafficking is one of the most devastating and persistent forms of violence committed against Indigenous people. In fact, half of all trafficking victims are Indigenous women, even though they represent only 5% of the population. A recent report highlights the possible links between the high rates of disappearance and murder of Indigenous women and girls and advertisements for sexual services. This is an important angle, but there’s a lack of resources and databases to further this investigation.
The Missing and Stolen report published in June 2025 refers to the disappearance in October 2024 of Juanita “Winnie” Migwans while she was walking along a road in M’Chigeeng, Ontario. Despite national efforts to find her, she’s still missing.
Drug gangs in Toronto are suspected of increasingly exploiting Indigenous women in rural communities. Indigenous women and girls are clearly overrepresented among victims, as are migrant worker women and girls, who may have a harder time accessing social and medical services due to their unregulated status.
If we are serious about ending human trafficking, we must confront the systems that generate profits from sexual exploitation. That means shifting the blame away from those who are exploited and towards those — generally men — who purchase, facilitate, normalize and benefit from that exploitation. To put an end to human trafficking, we must tackle the demand for sexual services. Recent government efforts to end human trafficking have embraced this logic by prioritizing measures aimed at offenders rather than survivors. However, a closer look at the federal action plan’s budgetary allocation reveals a more complex and troubling picture.
According to an analysis by a coalition of organizations aiming to end human trafficking in Quebec, over 70% of the federal budget allocated to the government’s action plan to end human trafficking was used for repression. Enforcement is absolutely necessary, but it cannot be at the expense of the protection and care of victims. When repression absorbs the overwhelming share of resources, survivor protections, long-term housing, trauma-informed care and economic reintegration risk becoming secondary priorities, according to this Quebec report.
In conclusion, the intentions behind this bill are praiseworthy, but we must not underestimate the difficulties of reaching consensus between survivors and authorities to move forward. The strategy outlined in the bill is broad — perhaps too broad — given the measures the federal government must take to address this issue. Would it be beneficial to prioritize a few of them?
I invite senators to send this bill to committee for further study. The stakes are high, and lives are being forever shattered by trafficking.
Thank you.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
(Motion agreed to and bill read second time.)
