Targets and victims of human trafficking are often trapped in social, economic and physical circumstances that place them closest to the margins of despair.

This government has a track record of not listening to the needs of rape crisis and sexual assault centre front-line staff, and survivors and those living with mental health challenges, among others who are trafficked. Therefore, it is really difficult to stand here today on behalf of the official opposition, recognizing human trafficking day tomorrow, while the government pats themselves on the back but we haven’t seen actual implementation of their plans.

This is the Ford government that dismantled the Ontario violence-against-women round table the moment they took office in 2018, and that began the callous cuts to rape crisis and sexual assault centres and, again, survivors—such as when this government cut survivors’ access to pain-and-suffering funds. Human trafficking is violence against women and children.

This is the Ford government that refuses to forgive human trafficking victims of provincial fines, outstanding OSAP student debt. Wipe these fines clean so they don’t continue to be the victims of financial exploitation, bad credit ratings, and crushing debts caused by their traffickers.

This is the Ford government that was asked to respond within six months to the Renfrew county inquiry recommendations that came out on June 28, 2022—68 of which land squarely on the shoulders of this provincial government—and they missed the deadline. The first of these recommendations was for the government to name intimate partner violence what it is: an epidemic. I asked them to implement this recommendation twice this morning during question period, and the government refused. How can this government pretend to be leading on human trafficking, which disproportionately impacts women and girls, yet they’re unable to name gender-based violence and intimate partner violence—which disproportionately impacts women and girls—an epidemic. It doesn’t make sense.

While your government mulls over these recommendations, more victims are targeted, violated and will die.

If this government wants to eradicate human trafficking—or any other form of violence against women, at that—recognize it as a hate crime. Support the front-line workers—understaffed, underpaid and burnt out. Properly fund the sector with annualized funding. They are direct lifelines for victims, survivors and their families.

All of these solutions and so much more I’ve shared today would actually put us on the right track to eradicating human trafficking as one of many forms of gender-based violence impacting women and children.