- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Bloc Québécois
- Shefford
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 66%
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- Feb/16/24 11:14:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, February 22 is now recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This should not be just another day on the calendar, but rather a call to action against all forms of human trafficking. It is one of the faces of modern slavery, usually for sexual purposes or forced labour and slavery. Victims often suffer physical, sexual, financial, emotional and psychological abuse, and often have to live and work in horrific conditions.
Because of the damage and violence human trafficking inflicts on victims, it is linked to severe trauma, and recovering from its impact can take a lifetime. Here are a few statistics to illustrate the severity of this scourge: 93% of victims were born here; 97% are women and children, many of them indigenous.
There are still too many victims. This national day of awareness must empower us to better identify these heinous crimes, vehemently condemn them and to fight them more effectively.
We must take action.
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- Dec/11/23 8:00:33 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Peace River—Westlock, with whom I co‑chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Last year we even went to Winnipeg to reflect on the issue of human trafficking. This all happened at the same time as we were conducting our study at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. We are still in the process of finalizing the report. Sadly, while travelling from Halifax to Vancouver via Ontario, we realized that the study we are conducting will confirm that indigenous women are overrepresented among victims of exploitation and human trafficking. It is deplorable that in 2023, we are still at this point.
I think that we will have to go even further and ensure that the report that we produce does not just get shelved. We must jump into action to get our recommendations implemented.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, which was very wide ranging.
I will try to be as quick as possible while addressing all the different topics he mentioned.
First, to reduce red tape, the Bloc Québécois would like a single tax return. I hope that the Conservatives will also think about that.
Concerning today's issue, that is the bill for indigenous people, I have just come back from the United Nations, where the issue of water was discussed. During this trip with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, I noted that Canada is lagging behind and that, because of the actions of previous governments over the past few decades, today, in 2023, there are indigenous people who do not have water. That is absolutely unacceptable.
I just got back from an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting where we discussed the fact that the way Canada has treated indigenous peoples for quite some time is a stain on its international reputation.
Furthermore, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women is currently studying the issue of human trafficking. Ninety-six percent of the victims of human trafficking are women. That is an astonishing percentage. Of that 96%, a significant percentage are indigenous women being exploited in human trafficking and modern slavery.
Beyond the symbolism of historic sites, how can we take concrete action to support indigenous peoples?
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- Nov/30/22 2:07:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, December 2 is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. It is a grim reminder that, even now, in 2022, this problem still exists. Slavery has not been relegated to the history books; it remains a chilling reality to this day.
According to the International Labour Organization, over 40 million people around the world are currently victims of forced labour. I deplore the fact that, all over the world, modern slavery affects women in particular. They are subjected to terrible practices, such as debt bondage, forced marriage and human trafficking.
Together with my fellow members of the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, I encourage everyone here to work across party lines to eradicate new forms of slavery, such as sexual exploitation, child labour and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.
Together, let us take action against this scourge.
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- Oct/24/22 7:41:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Jonquière for his speech. I would like to make a comment rather than ask a question.
This evening's debate brings two things to mind. I am a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. Of course, the committee talked about the Uighurs. The fact that this group of people is being subjected to modern slavery in this day and age disturbs me.
As the status of women critic, I will end on a much more personal note. As my colleague said, when women are being subjected to forced sterilization, that is a sure sign of a desire to annihilate a group of people. When things get to that point, economic considerations stop mattering and humanitarian considerations take over. That is our role as parliamentarians. It is our duty, as a member of the international community, to take action rather than merely express good intentions. It is time to take action.
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- May/4/22 8:00:02 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, my colleague touched on a subject that is very important to me. In fact, at yesterday's general meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, I was re-elected vice-chair.
We have studied this issue extensively. My colleague mentioned that 54% of human trafficking victims are indigenous women. That is huge. He also said that before concrete solutions to help these women can be proposed, a lot more data and studies are needed.
During the pandemic, some of these numbers were lost. The pandemic really complicated the research being done to get a more accurate picture of human trafficking and its impact on indigenous women. I would ask my colleague to comment on that.
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