Take Action! I Wrote a Letter to Support Bill C-310, Will You?
Despite not being so well-versed in the language surrounding Canada’s political system, I took 20 minutes out of my day to write a letter of support on behalf of MP Joy Smith’s Bill C-310. This Bill is designed to give prosecutors the tools needed to seek justice against Human Traffickers, both in Canada and overseas. It also provides the opportunity to further expand our definition of exploitation.
For more indepth information on this Bill, visit blog: Hope For the Sold
It can be hard to know where to start when writing a letter to our MP’s, but it is a crucial step to creating change within Canada’s legal system.
To make it easy for you, here are the list of email addresses you can send the letter to:
Members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights:
dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca,
irwin.cotler@parl.gc.ca,
jack.harris@parl.gc.ca,
Francoise.Boivin@parl.gc.ca,
Charmaine.Borg@parl.gc.ca,
Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@parl.gc.ca,
Robert.Goguen@parl.gc.ca,
Pierre.Jacob@parl.gc.ca,
brian.jean@parl.gc.ca,
brent.rathgeber@parl.gc.ca,
kyle.seeback@parl.gc.ca,
stephen.woodworth@parl.gc.ca
(Please also cc’ MP Joy Smith: joy.smith.a2@parl.gc.ca and your local MP)
To get some ideas, check out the simple email I wrote below:
To Members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights,
This email is to offer my support for Bill C-310 which I understand will be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights tomorrow, 15th March, 2012.
As a Canadian citizen and a registered voter who has dedicated the last four years to addressing global exploitation and slavery through the international organisation, Not For Sale, I am pleased to see Canada making progress to address the exploitation of vulnerable individuals both at home and abroad. I am writing on behalf of Not For Sale’s Canadian constituency, but also out of my own personal conviction. Having worked in both South Africa and now the Netherlands to provide new futures for survivors of human trafficking, I have seen firsthand the need for government, locally and federally, to play a crucial role in designing and implementing laws that will provide protection to vulnerable members of our society. Clarifying laws that define exploitation will provide members of our legal system who seek justice the tools they need to properly prosecute criminals who deal in the buying and selling of human beings for the purpose of exploitation. Similarly, Canada has a responsibility to the global community to implement extraterritorial laws that will allow law enforcement to seek out and prosecute those Canadians who exploit individuals, no matter where in the world they may try to hide. Human Trafficking is a global crime and human traffickers do not respect the laws or borders of individual countries. It is our duty to show the international criminal community that Canada views human trafficking as a serious offence. We must meet international standards for defining and addressing exploitation and take our place as a global leader on behalf of justice.
I urge the committee to review this Bill in a timely manner look forward to a successful outcome.
Sincerely,
Saskia Wishart - Not For Sale Campaign European Coordinator
Thanks for taking a stand on behalf of Justice. Let me know if you have a chance to write this letter, and make sure you write it before March 15th!
Canada doesnt have a proper reporting place for human trafficking. I applied for a job on kijiji and they wanted to meet at a coffee shop.. Suspicious, the email came from work.hiring@gmail.com, again suspicious and I couldnt get anyone over the phone.. I kept calling the number then shortly after a cab driver (spotter) drove by my place… Canada has no laws, until they attempt to do anything, no one will even here what I have to say!
Sounds sketchy – I would definitely get in touch with one of the local anti-trafficking organisations in your area, they can help look into it. We always have to be cautious with jobs over the internet. Good call on not meeting with them.