The member opposite is right: One death is too many. That’s why I’m proud that our government recently endorsed the release of Canada’s first National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Ontario led the approach in forwarding the national action plan to the FPT forum of justice ministers with a written request that they commit to taking further action to improve justice system responses, including holding perpetrators and offenders accountable.

In addition, our government has recently invested up to $3.6 million this year to support survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence in rural and remote communities. On February 10, the government provided part 1 of Ontario’s response to the Office of the Chief Coroner, and this response reflects the progress made so far.

We will continue to work across government to provide an update and comprehensive response in the future.

Tomorrow is Human Trafficking Awareness Day—a day dedicated to better understanding the warning signs and how we can help victims and survivors when and where they need it. This vicious crime creates lasting emotional, physical, spiritual and mental trauma for victims and survivors. We know that human trafficking poses a real and growing threat to the children and youth of our province.

That’s why, in 2020, our government released a comprehensive, five-year strategy to combat this crime. Our $307-million strategy includes actions across government to raise awareness, interrupt supply, protect victims, support survivors, and hold offenders accountable for their crimes. It is the largest total investment in dedicated anti-human trafficking services and supports in the country.

Today, with my colleague the Solicitor General, we will be sharing some of our government’s progress on delivering that strategy. A key focus is protecting children and youth from sex trafficking, as they are among those most vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers.

In 2021, as part of our strategy, we launched a new model of intervention called Children at Risk of Exploitation Units, or CARE units, with an investment of $11.5 million over three years. These specialized teams pair police officers and child protection workers to proactively identify children and youth at risk of being sex-trafficked and connect them to resources they need. These units have already had life-changing impacts on vulnerable young people. Over six months last year, CARE units had 319 interactions with children and youth suspected of being trafficked. They supported 27 human trafficking investigations, and 77 criminal charges were laid as a result of this work. This new approach has resulted in successful interventions with children—some younger than 12 years old—who were at risk. The success of these units is based on their collaborative approach. CARE unit members have built relationships with children who sometimes have no one else who can understand their trauma.

Another highlight of our work over the past year has been the delivery of cross-sector anti-human trafficking training. This training is designed for front-line professionals most likely to encounter children and youth who are being sex-trafficked, who have been trafficked in the past, or who are at risk. It is an intensive training program that equips participants with the knowledge to better identify suspected instances of human trafficking, including how to respond and support victims. It is also survivor-centred, involving individuals with lived experience at every stage, from development to delivery, as leaders of the training. And 95% of those who have taken this intensive training have said that they felt better equipped with the knowledge and skills to understand, identify and appropriately respond to human trafficking.

Finally, I’d like to mention another community-based service being delivered as part of our strategy and the difference it is making. The Ontario Native Women’s Association is one of the organizations being funded under our strategy to deliver community supports. Over the last year, they helped 316 individuals exit from being trafficked. They connected with more than 5,800 individuals to provide resources and support through street-based outreach work, and they have delivered training and educational programs to more than 5,600 people.

The examples I’ve shared today speak to the results that we have achieved by working with partners to deliver Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy. I am proud that these initiatives are having an impact, and I am grateful to everyone who is taking part.

But there is a role we can all play in stopping human trafficking.

I would like to encourage all members of this House to take the time to learn the signs of human trafficking and exploitation by visiting ontario.ca/humantrafficking. Together, we can make our communities safer places and help victims and those at risk be connected to the supports that they need.

Thank you, Minister Fullerton.

Today is a day for Ontarians to stand up to deliver a powerful message that trafficking in all of its forms is a vicious and violent crime that must be brought to an end. Human trafficking can prey on anyone, and especially society’s most vulnerable. Tragically, this largely includes young girls, those trapped in poverty and Indigenous women.

It is our duty to act decisively and effectively to protect everyone from exploitation. As a government, as a provincial Parliament, we have a shared duty to protect our communities. We must continue to do what is hard to keep Ontario safe.

Monsieur le Président, nous devons continuer à faire ce qui est difficile : assurer la sécurité de l’Ontario.

Today is a day of reflection. Moreover, it’s a day of action.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General, the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services worked together to develop Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy. We are investing $307 million in this comprehensive strategy. It brings together community advocates, social services, health care providers, law enforcement, and justice partners. This is all with the shared goal of raising awareness, protecting victims, supporting survivors, and holding offenders accountable—a comprehensive strategy made stronger with the passing of the government’s Combating Human Trafficking Act, 2021. I want to recognize my predecessor, the Deputy Premier, for shepherding this important legislation through the House.

Speaking as the Solicitor General on behalf of law enforcement and the justice sector, Ontario has the range of tools needed to improve our ability to identify perpetrators, intercept human trafficking networks, and bring criminals to justice. We are making good use of these tools. This is particularly evident when you consider advancements in training, intelligence gathering, and community grants.

Well-trained police officers are critical to our government’s anti-trafficking strategy. Police officers must be trained in early-detection techniques, effective anti-trafficking investigations, prevention, and how to approach and support the victims.

The Ontario Police College, for example, has greatly enhanced its human trafficking investigation course. Participants there learn about various types of human trafficking, vulnerable groups, trafficker profiles, indicators and how the sex trade is intricately linked to sex trafficking.

I want to give a special mention to a wonderful advocate I’ve met: Timea Nagy. A survivor of human trafficking herself and founder of Timea’s Cause, she and a dedicated team of volunteers and professionals have worked hand in hand with Peel Regional Police to develop tailored, anti-human trafficking training for over 2,200 officers.

Mr. Speaker, traffickers may operate in the shadows, but they can’t operate without leaving footprints. Transportation, advertising, accommodations and other costs of doing business all leave a trail.

Intelligence gathering and the free flow of information between jurisdictions is critical to the success of closing down human trafficking rings and bringing criminals to justice. We have increased intelligence gathering and investigative capacity to identify, monitor and target human traffickers and support the victims. To this end, I want to recognize the dedicated agents of the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario, who I’ve had the chance to meet working with law enforcement across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve talked about law enforcement response to end human trafficking. But our communities, schools and especially social media platforms are recruiting grounds for human traffickers. Cybercrime presents an additional threat that we must continue to combat—and to address this, our ministry is investing over $21 million over three years for this initiative. As a noteworthy example, this fall I joined the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, and my own parliamentary assistant, the MPP for Etobicoke–Lakeshore—at that time, I announced our government’s latest investment, through the Safer and Vital Communities Grant. We’re funding partnerships between community organizations and local police services to develop resources, enhance outreach, and boost education, with the objective of preventing local residents from becoming victims.

Mr. Speaker, on this National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, I want to recognize all first responders, social workers, health and mental care professionals, and everyday citizens who help us take a stand against human trafficking and deliver support for its victims. These are incredible people who support their communities every day.