Many of you ask how you can get involved in the fight against human trafficking. This week, Bill C-310 is going before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Bill C-310 has two parts:
- It seeks to amend the Criminal Code so that Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are involved in human trafficking outside of Canada’s borders can be prosecuted for their crimes.
- It seeks to amend the Code to ensure that the definition of exploitation in Court will be enhanced to include clear examples such as the use of threats, violence, coercion, and fraudulent means. Law enforcement, lawyers, and prosecutors have faced challenges demonstrating exploitation in trafficking in persons cases under the current definition.
Here is a request from MP Joy Smith:
I am pleased to update you that my private members’ Bill C-310 will be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on March 15, 2012. If it is successful at Committee, it will be sent back to the House for Third Reading … I need your help to encourage members to move Bill C-310 through the Justice Committee in a timely manner.
Bill C-310 will help protect women and girls in Canada and abroad from exploitation. You can make a significant difference by taking a few minutes to send and email on behalf of yourself or your organization to the Members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Please also copy your local MP and myself ([email protected]). You can find out your local MP’s address here.
Here is a list of the MPs and their emails on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights:
Chair: Dave MacKenzie – [email protected]
Vice-Chairs:
- Irwin Cotler – [email protected]
- Jack Harris – [email protected]
Members:
- Françoise Boivin – [email protected]
- Charmaine Borg – [email protected]
- Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay – [email protected]
- Robert Goguen – [email protected]
- Pierre Jacob – [email protected]
- Brian Jean – [email protected]
- Brent Rathgeber – [email protected]
- Kyle Seeback – [email protected]
- Stephen Woodworth – [email protected]
Need more details on the bill? MP Joy Smith and her team have put together a fantastic backgrounder document so that you have enough information to write an informed email, see below:
If you are not well-versed in political language, do not feel overwhelmed. Even writing a brief email of support for the bill, requesting it to be moved through the Justice Committee as quickly as possible, is a great way for you to make a difference. If you can, include your contact information in the email (full name, address, and phone number).
Please write your email before Thursday March 15. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at all!
Update from MP Smith’s office: “Bill C-310 passed Committee today with the support of all MPs. Will be reported back to House of Commons for Third Reading on March 26. Great testimonies by MP Joy Smith, Timea & Rob from Walk With Me, Roz and Mark from Beyond Borders and Amir Attaran.”
***Thanks to everyone who wrote an email of support to help this happen! I will keep you posted as this Bill moves forward.
is a community-supported charity
Hey, just wanted to send an email to say I am support of this bill! thanks for the work being done to fight Human Trafficking!
Just emailed all 12 individually and cc’d my MP Nina Grewal. Thank you for making it easy to do.
I’d like to write my mp in support of this bill and will. MP Joy Smith has asked us to copy her too but I can’t find the email address for her. Could you please provide this? Thanks and I will share to my network.
This is fantastic! Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write. Janice, to answer your question, MP Joy Smith’s email is [email protected]. I included that in the info above after you mentioned it, thanks for notifying me!
Thanks for laying this out simply and easy to do 🙂
Hope to see you at the OVOH conference!
Thank you for this important and well-organized way to advocate for these victims with no voice.
May I suggest some additional info on the MPs to make it easier for those of us who want to phone (remember, you can phone these people for FREE from your computer if you have Gmail).
Chair: Dave MacKenzie – [email protected] – Ottawa 613-995-4432 Fax 613-995-4433 Woodstock 519-421-7214 Fax: 519-421-9704
Vice-Chairs:
Irwin Cotler – [email protected] Ottawa 613-995-0121 Fax 613-992-6762 Montréal 514-283-0171 Fax 514-283-2407
Jack Harris – [email protected] Ottawa 613-996-7269 Fax 613-992-2178 St. John’s 709-772-7171 Fax 709-772-7175
Members:
Françoise Boivin – [email protected] Ottawa 613-992-4351 Fax 613-992-1037 Gatineau 819-561-5555 Fax 819-561-0005
Charmaine Borg – [email protected] Ottawa 613-947-4788 Fax 613-947-4879 Terrebonne 450-965-9417 Fax 450-965-7742
Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay – [email protected] 613-992-2957
Fax 613-992-3589 Delta 604-940-8040 Fax 604-940-8041
Robert Goguen – [email protected] Ottawa 613-992-8072
Fax 613-992-8083 Moncton 506-851-3310 Fax 506-851-3273
Pierre Jacob – [email protected] 613-947-8185 Fax 613-947-8188 Cowansville 450-266-6062 450-266-6064
Brian Jean – [email protected] Ottawa 613-992-1154 Fax 613-992-4603 Fort McMurray 780-743-2201 Fax 780-743-2287
Brent Rathgeber – [email protected] Ottawa 613-996-4722
Fax 613-995-8880 St Albert 780-459-0809 Fax 780-460-1246
Kyle Seeback – [email protected] Ottawa 613-995-5381
Fax 613-995-6796 Brampton 905-846-0076 Fax 905-846-3901
Stephen Woodworth – [email protected] Ottawa 613-995-8913
Fax 613-996-7329 Kitchener 519-741-2001 Fax 519-579-2404