Alberta government to spend $4 million on human trafficking office

The Alberta government has committed $4 million to create the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons. .“In Alberta, good and decent people are fighting the stain of human trafficking,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a Friday press conference. .“It is a sick trade run by sick individuals for sick ends.” .Smith said people cannot afford to close their eyes to the problem and ignore those who are at risk or are being trafficked..The Alberta government will be spending $22 million over the next three years to implement the recommendations of its human trafficking task force. .While the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons needs to exist, Smith said it should be unnecessary. Until that time, she said it will bring together survivors and community partners such as social service providers and indigenous organizations which are best positioned to get people out of trafficking. .She said the Alberta government’s goal is to create a hybrid model across the province, “disrupting and dissolving trafficking networks while helping survivors to rebuild.”.To succeed, she said people need to understand survivors’ stories and gather insights to let others escape it. .The office will collect information on how human traffickers operate and how they hide their activities. It will combine these approaches, allowing every one involved to share knowledge and better protect people from exploitation. .Smith said no one should be forced into sex work, exploited for labour, or trafficked for body parts. In this case, she said justice, compassion, and reconciliation demand action to fight human trafficking and support survivors. .Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said the office will allow the province to be a role model in fighting human trafficking. .“We need to understand that trafficking happens, and it happens here,” said Ellis. .Ellis said it is a real issue, and the Alberta government needs to do its part to disrupt it. He noted this office will be a resource to survivors and communities. .While human trafficking happens because of secrecy, he said the Alberta government will not let it continue. .Canadian country singer Paul Brandt said he is passionate about fighting human trafficking because of his daughter. .“I wanted to give her a really good answer when she was old enough to ask the question 'Daddy, when you saw trafficking, what did you do about it,'” said Brandt. .“We all have different capacities to affect change in relation to the issue of human trafficking.” .Once people know about it, Brandt said everyone has the same responsibility. He said his advocacy “has taken me on a journey that I never would have expected.” .The Alberta government said in October it was committing $20.8 million over the next four years to combat human trafficking. .READ MORE: Alberta government spends $20 million to fight human trafficking.“One of our very first platform commitments was to implement a nine-point Alberta Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking,” said former Alberta premier Jason Kenney. .“Today’s announcement of over $20 million in additional funding continues that life-saving work.”

Alberta government to spend $4 million on human trafficking office

Related Stories