Actions to Combat Human Trafficking

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Canada’s National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking

The Government of Canada has long recognized the importance of a comprehensive, coordinated and multi-faceted national approach to respond to human trafficking. On September 4, 2019, the Government of Canada announced the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (National Strategy). The National Strategy is supported by an investment of $57.22 million over five years, starting in 2019-20, with $10.28 million annually thereafter.

The National Strategy puts in place a coordinated framework to guide the Government of Canada’s anti-human trafficking efforts in a way that will empower victims and survivors; prevent more of these crimes from taking place; better protect those who are most vulnerable to trafficking; prosecute human traffickers for their heinous crimes; and embrace partnerships with provinces and territories and other organizations to maximize the impact of efforts.

Building on existing anti-trafficking efforts, the National Strategy is a comprehensive response to the crime of human trafficking. It includes enhanced supports to victims and survivors of human trafficking to regain control and independence; increased awareness and capacity-building efforts to prevent the victimization of vulnerable and marginalized populations; and improved criminal justice system experiences for victims and survivors. The National Strategy is a flexible framework that will guide federal efforts towards combatting human trafficking and allow the Government of Canada to be responsive to new emerging trends.

The National Strategy will help ensure that Canada and individuals are protected from all forms of human trafficking and harms associated with the crime.

The National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking includes activities undertaken by:

Federal Government Approach to Date

Canada was among the first countries to ratify the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. Federal anti-human trafficking efforts are guided by the Protocol and, through a four-pillar approach, seek to:

The Government of Canada's National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, 2012-2016, consolidated the federal government's efforts to combat human trafficking and introduced new initiatives to prevent human trafficking, identify victims, protect the most vulnerable, and prosecute perpetrators. A Human Trafficking Taskforce, led by Public Safety Canada and comprised of key departments, was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Action Plan commitments, coordinating the federal anti-human trafficking response and publicly reporting annually on progress.

The 2016-2017 Horizontal Evaluation of the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking concluded that human trafficking continues to occur in Canada and that a coordinated national approach to tackling this crime is still required.

In September and October of 2018, Public Safety Canada led a series of national consultations, guided by a discussion paper, that brought together over 200 stakeholders in order to inform the Government of Canada’s way forward to end human trafficking.

In 2018, the Government of Canada invested $14.51 million over five years and $2.89 million ongoing to put in place the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, the first of its kind in Canada, to help victims and survivors of human trafficking easily access the services they need. The Hotline launched on May 29, 2019.

The five-year National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, 2019-2024 , built on Canada’s existing federal efforts to combat human trafficking and supported broader Government of Canada commitments, including preventing and addressing gender-based violence, and supporting the safety and security of Indigenous peoples.

In 2019, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness appointed an interim Special Advisor to Combat Human Trafficking, Shirley Cuillierrier, to provide advice and recommendations to the Government of Canada on anti-human trafficking efforts, raise awareness on the issue both domestically and internationally, and share best practices.

In 2021, Public Safety Canada launched a national public education campaign to raise awareness among Canadians about the warning signs of human trafficking and how to safely report suspected cases. The campaign targets the public, with focus on youth, parents, and at-risk populations.

The 2019-2023 Horizontal Evaluation of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking identified progress made towards preventing human trafficking across the Strategy pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution, partnership, and empowerment. It confirmed there is a continued need for the National Strategy to prevent the trafficking of individuals, increase general awareness of human trafficking, support victims and survivors, and improve Canadian law enforcement's ability to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators.

In Summer 2024, Public Safety Canada announced the development of the next iteration of the National Strategy and began a series of targeted national and international consultations with victims and survivors, partners, provinces and territories, and frontline practitioners.

Canada’s International Obligations, Commitments and Engagement

Canada’s approach to human trafficking is guided by its international obligations under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Canada ratified the Convention and the Protocol in 2002.

Canada is committed to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where trafficking in persons is explicitly mentioned in targets 5.2, 8.7, and 16. In particular, target 8.7 calls for immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers. Canada also supports the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, which includes an objective to prevent, combat, and eradicate trafficking in persons.

Canada is active in international efforts to counter human trafficking. Canada promotes the accession to and implementation of international legal instruments, and shares best practices, experiences and lessons learned through its participation in regional and multilateral processes such as:

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