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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 140

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 2, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Oshawa for his speech, which was both well thought out and heartfelt. He said that one of the problems with human trafficking is that the victims do not always see themselves as victims. He said that, if we get rid of the requirement to prove fear, we may have reason to hope that this bill might lead to more convictions for this crime. As he said, if victims do not identify as victims, they may not choose to complain, so charges may never be laid. As the parliamentary secretary said, in addition to the bill, does more need to be done to raise awareness so that victims realize they are victims?
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Madam Speaker, I cannot argue with what my colleague has just said, because she is correct. When we think about the psychological manipulation that these human traffickers force on their victims, there really is a unique situation here. These guys seem to be experts. Unfortunately, the way our system is set up, there are only so many tools in the tool box. Again, that example I used about getting stabbed in the back, I thought it would get a bit of a chuckle here. I saw some smiles. If someone does not even see somebody stabbing them in the back, how are they ever going to prove fear. In that situation, if the crime has been committed and there is proof, the person goes to jail. There is no requirement to prove fear. There is intimidation. Some of these victims are ready to go into court, but then they see their trafficker in front of them and they cannot go through with it. We need to do better.
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