Thank you to all the presenters and also thank you to the family and friends who have joined us today, either in person or maybe watching online.

I will now recognize the member for Humber River–Black Creek.

I will start by acknowledging the people that have joined us today. We are honoured to remember and pay tribute to a former member of our provincial Legislature, the late Mr. Albert Kolyn, who was the MPP for Lakeshore during the 32nd Parliament. Joining us in the Speaker’s gallery are Mr. Kolyn’s daughters, Linda Helen Kolyn and Dr. Donna Marie Kolyn. Also in the Speaker’s gallery are David Warner, Speaker during the 35th Parliament; Steve Gilchrist, MPP for Scarborough East during the 36th and 37th Parliaments; Phil Gillies, MPP for Brantford during the 32nd and 33rd Parliaments; and Judy Marsales, MPP for Hamilton West during the 38th Parliament and chair of the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians.

I will now turn to the first speaker for the tribute and will recognize now the member for Humber River–Black Creek.

It’s a real pleasure to be here this morning. I’ve got a special treat. My daughter Stephanie has joined us this morning just to give her support, so thank you, Stephanie. I know I’m going to get an earful about that after I leave this place, but anyway.

This morning I’m really filled with hope, optimism and gratefulness as I rise to participate in the debate on Bill 41, which is an extremely important bill that, if passed, would provide much-needed relief to survivors of human trafficking. I want to start by thanking the government for following through on bringing this piece of proposed legislation to this next stage. This is part of the gratefulness I feel this morning. Seeing this proposed legislation reach third reading is truly special for me, as I started working on this more than two years ago—in fact, not very long after I was first elected.

It was Richard Dunwoody who connected with me in the spring of 2021 to let me know of the financial help he’s been providing to survivors of human trafficking through his Project Recover. He then arranged for a meeting with a survivor in my own riding. And I have to say, after that meeting I was compelled of the need to try and do something. Since then, Richard has never stopped pushing for a solution, bringing examples after examples of injustices toward so many survivors. We definitely owe him the initiation of the work on this bill.

I tabled the first version of this bill back in 2022; that was in March 2022. The bill died on the order paper when the election was called, but I was determined to bring it back if I was re-elected. Before re-tabling, I started to imagine that maybe I could find someone in each party to support it. And it happened; not overnight, but it happened. It doesn’t happen often in this House to have this kind of collaboration. So I want to sincerely thank my colleagues who agreed to sponsor this bill and have worked really hard to get it to this point. So, thank you to the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, the member for Spadina–Fort York and the member for Guelph for all the work you are have done to build support for this bill on both sides of the aisle. This bill is a testament to the way that working together can lead to practical solutions that can truly make life better for Ontarians. It would be great to see more of that in this House.

Feedback from experts, victims, survivors, agencies, police services and financial institutions like Equifax, TransUnion, credit unions and the Canadian Bankers Association was essential to creating strong legislation. So, I want to thank all the stakeholders who have supported Bill 41 throughout this process and who took the time to provide some detailed recommendations on how to improve the legislation.

The committee stage is an important part of the legislative process, as you know, and it’s an excellent opportunity for us, as elected officials, to listen to the concerns of stakeholders across the province and use the feedback to improve legislation. I, personally, found it very powerful to listen to the various testimonies and perspectives on Bill 41 that were shared in committee, during public hearings. I want to thank everyone who took the time to make a presentation to us, especially the survivors who have accepted, once again, to tell their compelling stories.

While there was some disagreement on the details of the implementation of the bill, what was extremely clear was that everyone—no exception—supported the legislation. Everyone agreed that survivors of human trafficking should not be held responsible for debts that were incurred in their name while they were being trafficked. At the end of the day, that is what this bill accomplishes. It provides a legislative framework that will protect survivors from coerced debts and allow them to move on with their lives.

Speaker, what those public hearings highlighted was the need to get the legislation passed and implemented as quickly as possible. Survivors need our support today. This bill was amended in committee to make it come into force on an unspecified day in the future to be determined by the government. While I recognize the practical challenges that come with the implementing a piece of legislation—and as the member for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock clearly indicated—there is a lot of work required and several ministries involved, but I also know that survivors need the help now so that they can move on with their lives.

If Bill 41 is passed today, I strongly urge this government to move as quickly as they can to get this bill implemented and bring it into force. Survivors of human trafficking want to put their past behind them and build a better future for themselves, but they are often hindered in that pursuit by bad credit ratings and coerced debts. By implementing the measures in Bill 41, we can help these survivors get out from under the burden of financial debt that was placed on them by their traffickers and empower them to move forward. Bill 41 will allow survivors of human trafficking to get a credit card, student loans, mortgages, and other lines of credit that many of us take for granted. Bill 41 will protect survivors from debts they did not incur and help them get the credit they need to build a better future for themselves.

However, while the measures in Bill 41 are important, we cannot stop there. Human trafficking in Ontario is still far too common, and we must act now to protect our young people. I can’t help thinking of my three daughters. They were all in school just recently, one of whom is still there. That’s why training and education is a huge part of the solution to this. We need to ensure that kids in high school are aware of the dangers and can recognize the situations that often lead to trafficking. This particular fact was actually highlighted by survivors who came to committee, highlighting the importance of providing education as to how young kids fall into the trap. Many of these dangerous situations and relationships occur online. Both kids and their parents or caregivers must be aware of the tactics that are employed by traffickers and be able to recognize them.

About a year ago, I met with Dr. Charlene Doak-Gebauer, who has worked extensively on the issue of digital supervision. She has produced a documentary highlighting the dangers that teenagers can come across online and the need for adult supervision.

That’s why I tabled another bill: It’s Bill 133, the Kids’ Online Safety and Privacy Month Act, 2023. The community has a responsibility to protect children from these risks through education and supervision. We need to empower our teenagers to recognize dangerous situations and avoid them. We must also ensure that there are support mechanisms in place so that young people know where to turn if they need help or someone to talk to.

Bill 41 is an important step forward in better supporting survivors of human trafficking, but it cannot be the end. We must also take measures to keep young people safe and prevent human trafficking from occurring in the first place. I encourage the government to continue to take action on this important file.

Thank you once again to everyone who has supported this bill and helped us get to where we are today. I want to give a special shout-out to Ty Bradley and David Nightingale on my team who provided me with incredible support as we worked through all the necessary steps in these past years. I hope that, together, we can get this bill passed today and provide survivors of human trafficking with this much-needed relief.