Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

19 recommendations made to tackle human trafficking in Alberta

Mar 28, 2022 | 9:24 AM

The Alberta Government is continuing to support efforts to combat human trafficking in the province.

The Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force has released its final report, providing 19 recommendations to the provincial government.

The task force is chaired by Paul Brandt, an Alberta country music star and a strong advocate on the topic of human trafficking. He says his experience being part of this group has been profound.

“Hearing the accounts of trauma, dehumanization, abuse, and exploitation changed us. It is difficult to comprehend the depravity of this crime. Upholding the individual rights of Canadians whose lives are being impacted by modern-day slavery has Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as human rights, implications, which reach into every aspect of Canadian society. To uphold the rights of victims and survivors of human trafficking is to uphold the cause of freedom. I am thankful that today this report is being made public and that the recommendations are being accepted.”

Premier Jason Kenney notes that many of the recommendations have already been implemented, but his government will work hard at getting the others done.

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He calls human trafficking one of the most atrocious acts that can be committed.

“Alberta’s government is committed to taking action against human trafficking. By implementing our platform’s Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and now the task force’s recommendations, we are supporting victims, targeting traffickers, and preventing this modern form of slavery from taking root in our province.”

Members of the task force engaged with more than 100 experts in fields such as law enforcement and social services, and also heard from victims of human trafficking.

Justice Minister Tyler Shandro notes that Indigenous women are disproportionally targeted by traffickers, so efforts to respond to it must also include the voices of Indigenous communities.

He adds that human trafficking is the second-largest source of illegal income globally, so combatting this will have an impact on other areas of crime.

Of the 19 recommendations, only five were specifically listed in the report:

1. Create an Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons
2. Prioritized/enhanced access to coordinated services
3. Universally branded and consistent access to awareness, education, and training programs and protocols
4. Human trafficking-specific legislative action, update, and harmonization
5. Enhanced, centralized provincial data collection and research

The Alberta Government has also developed an online course that is available for police-based victim service units and specialized community-based victim-serving organizations.

Training is also being put together for other front-line workers and groups like judges and prosecutors, as well as resources for the public.

In 2019, there were 511 reported incidents of human trafficking in Canada, 31 of which took place in Alberta.

You can read the task force’s full report here.