In my role as Solicitor General, it’s my duty to ensure that Ontarians across the province are kept safe.

Monsieur le Président, rien pour moi, en tant que solliciteur général, n’est plus important que la sécurité de notre province.

I take my role very seriously every single day, and today is no different.

Human Trafficking Awareness Day provides an opportunity in which all Ontarians are encouraged to stand up and deliver a powerful message: that human trafficking is unacceptable. This is, without a doubt, one of the most vicious and violent crimes. This horrific crime has never been and will never be tolerated here in Ontario. Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, recognizes that these heinous acts are unacceptable—and through Minister Parsa’s efforts and my own, we will continue fighting to eradicate this awful practice.

Human traffickers often target society’s most vulnerable, including young girls, some as young as 13 years old. But it doesn’t end there. This crime does not discriminate. People of all ages and genders and backgrounds can become victims of trafficking. Often, society’s most vulnerable are specifically targeted and coerced into these situations.

Mr. Speaker, it hits close to home. The more I’ve travelled Ontario, the more questions I ask. Last year, when I went to visit my friend our great member from Sarnia–Lambton, we went to the border in Sarnia. I assumed that human trafficking only comes across the borders—but we know it doesn’t; it can be everywhere in Ontario.

When I travelled in the northern part of Ontario to Thunder Bay, I asked the question, “Do you have a human trafficking issue here in Thunder Bay?” It’s everywhere. It’s despicable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t limit itself, as I just said, to one specific area of Ontario or a border.

Unfortunately, the greater Toronto area, an area where my own constituency is, is a hot spot for these organized crime rings to target. So many people call Toronto home for many good reasons, and it’s not right that Toronto—and anywhere in Ontario—can be victimized by human traffickers.

I’ve said this before: Enough is enough. We all have the inherent right to live safely in our own homes and communities. It’s not right that we have human traffickers who prey on the most vulnerable.

It’s no secret that under our government, keeping Ontario safe is one of our top priorities. Daily, I work with my colleagues in government and I work with my colleagues throughout this Legislature to promote public safety. I work to ensure that we’re putting our best foot forward to help protect everyone from exploitation.

It’s important to recognize this today with reflection on why we’re speaking today.

As Solicitor General, we have partnered with Ontario’s Attorney General and my colleague the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services for something that is important. Together, we’re working to develop an innovative, anti-human-trafficking strategy. This will coincide with our government’s Combating Human Trafficking Act that was put forward in 2021. I’m proud to say that we are investing $307 million through this comprehensive strategy. This is something that brings together community advocates and families and governments and all individuals who support the fight to eradicate trafficking of all kinds. This is something that brings together social services and health care providers and law enforcement and justice partners.

I’ll say it again: We will not stop. We can’t stop. How can we stop when we have to eradicate something that is evil? We’re going to close the gaps with shared goals of raising awareness and protecting the victims and supporting the survivors and holding offenders accountable.

I want to repeat that last part: We will hold offenders accountable.

There has never been a government that I am aware of, in my lifetime, that has been more concerned about public safety than our government, led by Premier Ford.

If people think it’s okay to act in a criminal way—it’s not. We will find you, and we will lock you up.

I want to express that our strategy of fostering stronger relationships between law enforcement and justice sectors is absolute. In making these pivotal investments, we’re breaking up these criminal rings.

I want this House to know that we are already seeing the fruits of our work.

One example of our funding is the intelligence-led joint forces strategy. This initiative is prominently between the Ontario Provincial Police and 20 municipal and First Nations police services that have worked to help identify, investigate and disrupt human trafficking organizations operating in Ontario. Established in 2021, the IJFS has been responsible for 147 human trafficking charges and 227 other charges being laid. They have also supported 126 victims of human trafficking, helping them to move forward and take back their lives.

Madam Speaker, when I have gone to events in support of strategies, with victim services, as an example—strategies to combat human trafficking, but events in support of victim services all across our province—it has been a great honour. I go there to listen and to learn.

Our government has taken a tough-on-crime approach—and I’ve said this already—because we all have a right to live safely in our own homes and communities. And we’re not going to stop. Our government knows that somebody who has been through these moments in their life can feel alone and afraid. That’s why we have to come together as a community to stand up against something that is irrefutably awful and evil.

On top of our anti-human trafficking strategy, my ministry has further enhanced its supports by delivering the victim support grants. Since 2022, we’ve announced almost $10 million in grants. Through two grant cycles, we’ve helped support victims and survivors of human trafficking, intimate partner violence, domestic violence and child exploitation. Together, this grant has supported more than 70 projects across the province and provided targeted support to help accomplish our goal.

Law enforcement and the justice sector need the proper tools to improve their ability to identify and target perpetrators. And we’re committed to achieving a safe environment for everyone in our province.

Finally, Madam Speaker, I want everyone in this House and across the province to know that, together, we can intercept human trafficking networks. We can find those people and hold them to account, and we’ll lock them up where they belong.

Public safety is our government’s important and top priority, and I won’t stop, the Premier won’t stop, this government won’t stop, Minister Parsa won’t stop—nobody in this Legislature should and will stop until we have a safe community for everyone. Criminals have no place in our Ontario.

On National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, I want to acknowledge all the first responders, the victims and the survivors, and their families. You matter, and we know it. Together, we will keep Ontario safe.