

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
APECO
ASEC
AMGT
AFIN
APER
ACABQ
AORC
AEMR
AF
AE
AR
AGMT
AU
AY
ABLD
AS
AG
AJ
APCS
AX
AM
AMEX
ATRN
ADM
AMED
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AL
ASUP
AND
ARM
ASEAN
AFFAIRS
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AODE
APEC
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AO
ABUD
AC
ADPM
ADCO
ASIG
ARF
AUC
ASEX
AGAO
AA
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AIT
AADP
ASCH
AORL
AROC
ACOA
ANET
AID
AMCHAMS
AINF
AMG
AFU
AN
ALOW
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
ACS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AGR
BEXP
BR
BM
BG
BL
BA
BTIO
BO
BP
BC
BILAT
BK
BU
BD
BRUSSELS
BB
BF
BBSR
BIDEN
BX
BE
BH
BT
BY
BMGT
BWC
BTIU
BN
CA
CASC
CFED
CO
CH
CS
CU
CE
CI
CM
CMGT
CJAN
COM
CG
CIS
CVIS
CR
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTER
CIA
CLINTON
CY
CPAS
CD
CBW
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CDG
CW
CODEL
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CARICOM
CB
CONDOLEEZZA
CWC
CACS
CSW
CIDA
CIC
CITT
CONS
CL
CACM
CDB
CDC
CAN
CF
CJUS
CTM
CBSA
CARSON
CT
CLMT
CBC
CEUDA
CV
COPUOS
CTR
CROS
CAPC
CAC
CNARC
CICTE
CBE
ECON
ETRD
EIND
ENRG
EC
ELAB
EAGR
EAID
EFIS
EFIN
EINV
EUN
EG
EPET
EAIR
EU
ELTN
EWWT
ECIN
ERD
EI
ETTC
EUR
EN
EZ
ETC
ENVI
EMIN
ET
ENVR
ER
ECPS
EINT
EAP
ES
ENIV
ECONOMY
EXTERNAL
EINN
EFTA
ECONOMIC
EPA
EXBS
ECA
ELN
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENGR
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
ELECTIONS
EIAR
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
ENERG
EFIM
EAIDS
EK
ETRDECONWTOCS
EINVETC
ECONCS
EUNCH
ESA
ECINECONCS
EUREM
ESENV
EFINECONCS
ETRC
ENNP
EAIG
EXIM
EEPET
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
ERNG
ETRO
ETRN
EINVEFIN
ICTY
IN
IS
IR
IC
IZ
IA
INTERPOL
IAEA
IT
IMO
IO
IV
ID
IRAQI
IEA
INRB
IL
IWC
ITU
ICAO
ISRAELI
ICRC
IIP
IMF
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
ITALY
ITALIAN
ILO
IPR
IQ
IRS
IAHRC
IZPREL
IRAJ
IDP
ILC
ITF
ICJ
IF
ITPHUM
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
IACI
IBET
ITRA
INR
IRC
IDA
ICTR
IGAD
INRA
INRO
IEFIN
INTELSAT
INTERNAL
INDO
ITPGOV
KWMN
KSCA
KDEM
KTFN
KIPR
KCRM
KPAL
KE
KPAO
KPKO
KS
KN
KISL
KFRD
KJUS
KIRF
KFLO
KG
KTIP
KTER
KRCM
KTIA
KGHG
KIRC
KU
KPRP
KMCA
KMPI
KSEO
KNNP
KZ
KNEI
KCOR
KOMC
KCFC
KSTC
KMDR
KFLU
KSAF
KSEP
KSAC
KR
KGIC
KSUM
KWBG
KCIP
KDRG
KOLY
KAWC
KCHG
KHDP
KRVC
KBIO
KAWK
KGCC
KHLS
KBCT
KPLS
KREL
KCFE
KMFO
KV
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVPR
KTDB
KSPR
KIDE
KVRP
KTEX
KBTR
KTRD
KICC
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KDEMAF
KMRS
KRAD
KOCI
KSTH
KUNR
KNSD
KGIT
KFSC
KHIV
KPAI
KICA
KACT
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCMR
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KNAR
KNUC
KPWR
KENV
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KPRV
KOM
KBTS
KCRS
KNPP
KWNM
KRFD
KVIR
KTBT
KAID
KRIM
KDDG
KRGY
KHSA
KWMM
KMOC
KSCI
KPAK
KX
KPAONZ
KCGC
KID
KPOA
KIFR
KFIN
KWAC
KOMS
KCRCM
KNUP
KMIG
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KJUST
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MX
MCAP
MO
MR
MI
MD
MK
MA
MP
MY
MTCRE
MOPPS
MASC
MIL
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MU
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MZ
MEETINGS
MG
MW
MAS
MT
MCC
MIK
ML
MARAD
MV
MERCOSUR
MTRE
MPOS
MEPP
MILITARY
MDC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MRCRE
MAPS
MEDIA
MASSMNUC
MC
NZ
NZUS
NL
NU
NATO
NP
NO
NIPP
NE
NH
NR
NA
NPT
NI
NSF
NG
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NDP
NEW
NRR
NATIONAL
NT
NS
NASA
NAR
NV
NORAD
NSSP
NK
NPA
NGO
NSC
NATOPREL
NW
NPG
NSFO
OPDC
OTRA
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OSCE
OEXC
OIE
OPRC
OAS
OPIC
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFFICIALS
OECD
OSCI
OBSP
OFDA
OPCW
ODIP
OFDP
OES
OPAD
OCII
OHUM
OVP
ON
OIC
OCS
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PINR
PTER
PARM
PREF
PM
PE
PINS
PK
PHSA
PBTS
PRGOV
PA
PORG
PP
PS
PGOF
PL
PO
PARMS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PAK
POL
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PBIO
PINF
PNG
PMIL
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PAO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PTBS
PCUL
PROP
PNAT
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PROG
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
PGOC
PY
PCI
PLN
PDOV
PREO
PGIV
PHUH
PAS
PU
POGOV
PF
PINL
POV
PAHO
PRL
PG
PRAM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POLICY
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGGV
PHUS
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PEL
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PBT
PTERE
RS
RU
RW
RM
RO
RP
REGION
RSP
RF
RICE
RCMP
RFE
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RUPREL
RELATIONS
ROOD
REACTION
RSO
REPORT
SENV
SNAR
SCUL
SR
SC
SOCI
SMIG
SI
SP
SU
SO
SW
SY
SA
SZ
SAN
SF
SN
STEINBERG
SG
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SAARC
SL
SEVN
SARS
SIPRS
SHUM
SANC
SWE
SHI
SYR
SNARCS
SPCE
SYRIA
SEN
SH
SCRS
SENVKGHG
TRGY
TSPL
TPHY
TSPA
TBIO
TI
TW
THPY
TX
TU
TS
TZ
TC
TH
TT
TIP
TO
TERRORISM
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TL
TV
TNGD
TD
TF
TP
TFIN
TAGS
TK
TR
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
UNHRC
UG
UP
UNMIK
UNHCR
UE
USTR
UNVIE
UAE
UZ
UY
UNO
UNESCO
USEU
USOAS
UV
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNEP
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDP
UNPUOS
UNC
UNAUS
USUN
UNCHC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCSD
UNDC
USNC
USPS
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08OTTAWA1560, CANADA STRIVING TO COMBAT TIP
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08OTTAWA1560.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08OTTAWA1560 | 2008-12-16 22:29 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Ottawa |
VZCZCXRO7920
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #1560/01 3512229
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 162229Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8874
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1908
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 001560
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND G/TIP (BARBARA FLECK)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SMIG KCRM KWMN CA
SUBJECT: CANADA STRIVING TO COMBAT TIP
REF: A. VANCOUVER 288
¶B. OTTAWA 1072
¶C. OTTAWA 1546
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Canada has an active inter-agency working group
to combat trafficking in persons, as well as a variety of NGO
efforts. More comprehensive research and statistics, a national
action plan, greater co-ordination among national and provincial
government agencies and NGOs, and greater investment in victim
services would improve overall anti-TIP performance. One
Conservative Member of Parliament has made TIP a top legislative and
political priority. End summary.
¶2. (U) G/TIP official Barbara Fleck visited Ottawa and Toronto
during the week of December 8 for consultations with Canadian
officials about Canada's ongoing efforts to combat trafficking in
persons and how better to improve its performance. (Septel will
cover discussions and anti-TIP efforts in Toronto.)
INTER-AGENCY WORKING GROUP
--------------------------
¶3. (SBU) A federal Interdepartmental Working Group on Trafficking in
Persons (IWGTIP), which the Departments of Justice and Public Safety
co-chair, shares information among its members on a regular basis
and meets at least twice per year. (IWGTIP last met in spring 2008
and will meet again in December.) IWGTIP coordinates the anti-TIP
work of 17 federal departments and agencies: the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA); Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA); Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS); Department of
Citizenship and Immigration; the Financial Transactions Reports
Analysis Centre (FINTRAC); Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade (DFAIT); Department of Health; Department of
Canadian Heritage; Department of Human Resources and Skills
Development; Department of Indian and Northern Affairs; Department
of Justice; Passport Canada agency; Privy Council Office; Department
of Public Safety; Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); Statistics
Canada agency; and, Status of Women agency.
¶4. (SBU) Representatives from the RCMP, CBSA, and FINTRAC reported
excellent cross-border working relationships with U.S. law
enforcement agencies, including two ongoing investigations of
potential human trafficking rings operating in Western Canada. The
RCMP also conducts TIP training workshops across Canada for
approximately 150 law enforcement, border, and immigration officials
per month, and has invited ICE special agents to conduct some
workshops. IWGTIP officials downplayed expectations of an increase
in trafficking during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games,
contrary to the views of some NGOs. The RCMP has nonetheless
provided training in trafficking awareness to more than 260 law
enforcement officers in preparation for the 2010 Games. The RCMP
has six Human Trafficking Awareness Coordinators nationwide working
with NGOs, social services agencies, and local communities.
¶5. (SBU) Public Safety Canada manages an ongoing public education
initiative including posters and other education materials. Public
Safety recently signed an agreement to partner with the Canadian
Crime Stoppers Association to use its toll-free telephone hotline,
and plans to train Crime Stoppers hotline operators to identify
potential TIP cases. The roll-out of the new partnership will
include a poster, video, radio and print advertising campaign (ref
B).
GETTING THE RIGHT NUMBERS
-------------------------
¶6. (SBU) Many observers view a lack of reliable statistical data and
information sharing as major challenges to more effective anti-TIP
activities. For example, trafficking victims who make asylum claims
Qactivities. For example, trafficking victims who make asylum claims
are counted as refugee applicants and are unlikely to appear as
trafficking victims in official statistics. Statistics Canada is
currently conducting a feasibility study, due for completion in
April 2009, for nationwide collection of anti-trafficking case data
and statistics. Dr. Marlene Dalley of RCMP's National Missing
Children Services indicated that reliable data relating to child
trafficking in Canada remains difficult to gather. She pointed to
two particularly vulnerable populations of children: Canada's
estimated 55,000 runaways; and, aboriginal minors who fall victim to
substance abuse, poverty, and homelessness. Dalley commented that
it was unclear how many of these children may be victims of
trafficking, mostly because some police officers do not identify
many TIP cases on the ground.
NGO VIEWS
---------
¶7. (SBU) In separate meetings, representatives of the Native
Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and Persons Against the Crime
OTTAWA 00001560 002 OF 003
of Trafficking in Humans (PACT-Ottawa) insisted that Canada remains
a source, destination, and transit country for trafficking in
persons, even though the Canadian government does not view itself as
a major "source" country for domestic human trafficking. In
addition to international trafficking through Canada's major cities,
they reported organized internal flows of women and girls to Western
Canada to provide oil and gas workers with commercial sex services.
Girls and children also move from aboriginal communities in northern
Canada to work in the commercial sex sector in urban areas.
According to the NGOs, the problem of internal trafficking of
aboriginal girls and children is "huge." In recent decades, over
500 aboriginal women have been murdered or gone missing; NWAC
believes some of these women likely were victims of trafficking.
The Canadian government has partnered with NWAC on a five-year
"Sisters in Spirit" initiative (2005-2010) to address violence in
aboriginal communities and the high rates of missing and murdered
aboriginal women (ref C). According to the NGOs, there is still a
pressing need for more statistical research "across the board" to
define the scale of the problem and form the basis for future
advocacy and action.
VICTIM SUPPORT: A WEAK LINK
---------------------------
¶8. (SBU) NWAC and PACT-Ottawa officials also identified improved
victim services and increased shelter capacity as additional
prerequisites for more effective law enforcement action. They
expressed concern that Canada's practice of detaining foreign
trafficking victims in immigration detention centers -- rather than
in shelters where they can receive social and medical support --
deters victims from seeking assistance. (Note: There are
immigration detention facilities in Toronto, Montreal, and
Vancouver. End note.) The lack of shelters and victims' services
may also be a factor in the low demand for Temporary Residence
Permits (TRPs) for trafficked victims; reportedly, only 31 TRPs
(including renewals) have been issued since May 2006. Referrals and
victims' services operate largely on an ad hoc basis; lack of
documentation for trafficked persons makes it more likely that these
victims could "fall through the cracks," mostly because TIP victims
do not easily meet the definitional requirements for being a victim
of domestic violence (which provides easier access to government
assistance).
¶9. (SBU) Six shelters operate currently in Ottawa, all provincially
funded, to serve victims of domestic violence and their children.
Immigrant Women Services Ottawa provides interpretation services for
female victims unable to communicate in English or French. While
Ottawa shelter providers cited incidents of suspected trafficking
cases among immigrant women and aboriginal youth, they added that
they have never been formally trained to identify victims of
trafficking, and were eager to learn more about TIP. (Poloff
subsequently introduced the shelter management to several NGO
activists eager to raise awareness of TIP.) Shelter staff
underlined the need for facilities exclusively for single women,
whose challenges, such as trauma and addictions, are often difficult
to address in an environment with children. Interval House, an
Ottawa shelter, hopes to build a facility for single women if it can
attract sufficient funds; it currently has only four beds -- which
are always full -- for women without children.
SUPPORT IN PARLIAMENT
---------------------
¶10. (SBU) MP Joy Smith (Conservative-Winnipeg), a vocal proponent of
Q10. (SBU) MP Joy Smith (Conservative-Winnipeg), a vocal proponent of
strengthened anti-trafficking measures, has called on the government
to adopt a national action plan to combat trafficking. She also
advocates a comprehensive strategy combining all levels of
government, law enforcement, and NGOs to fight TIP, incorporating
increased enforcement of existing anti-trafficking laws, greater law
enforcement training, deeper linkages with the NGO community,
support for victim shelters and rehabilitation services, and more
educational and prevention efforts. Smith has suggested creation of
a new position of Minister of State for Trafficking In Persons, and
is encouraging fellow parliamentarians to place TIP higher on the
government's justice agenda.
¶11. (SBU) Smith said that she intends to introduce at least two
private member bills in the 2009 legislative session addressing
trafficking: one would establish mandatory minimum sentencing for
commercial sexual exploitation of persons younger than age 18; and
the second would strengthen notification requirements when sexual
predators travel abroad. Smith, whose son is an RCMP officer,
commented that law enforcement agents were still not fully aware of
the scope or nature of trafficking, and that the number of
prosecutions remained far lower than it should be. British Columbia
is currently the only province to have established an office
dedicated to combating trafficking (ref A). Smith praised the
Harper government's efforts to reduce issuance of "exotic dancer"
OTTAWA 00001560 003 OF 003
visas -- which likely had previously been used to traffic foreign
women into Canada's sex trade -- from a past high of several hundred
to only two or three per year now. Smith noted that the adult
entertainment industry had already threatened a legal challenge to
the government's reduction of visas in this category.
¶12. (U) G/TIP has cleared this cable.
WILKINS