Over the years, Canadian churches, Christian organizations, and other social justice advocates have provided valuable analysis on a range of issues of concern to Canadians. Throughout this election campaign, CPJ has shared our perspectives on a number of key issues. Now, recognizing that there are issues of interest beyond the scope of our work, we’ve compiled a survey of some of the major themes worthy of consideration that are being highlighted by our colleague organizations. Read more »
In September 2010, Conservative MP Joy Smith released Connecting the Dots, a proposal to combat human trafficking in Canada. Through highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal, we explore the need for a comprehensive national action plan. While it is imperative for Canada to implement an action plan, should the government adopt the proposal outlined in Connecting the Dots? Read more »
Human trafficking is rooted in long-standing gender, race, and power inequalities. It is a multi-faceted social problem, fed by serious poverty and social exclusion – especially the lack of economic options for poor women and girls. It is influenced by situations of corruption and made more challenging by the complexity of international jurisdictional issues.
World sporting events are well known as occasions for increased trafficking. So what can we expect as Canada plays host to the 2010 Olympic Games? Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 - 6:43PM
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On Sunday evening, I attended the Sisters in Spirit vigil in Ottawa on behalf of the Christian Reformed Church. Sisters in Spirit vigils were held across the country to remember the more than 500 missing and murdered Aboriginal girls and women.
I was astonished when I first heard that number – 520 women as victims of extreme violence sounds like a pandemic to me. The reality is the number is possibly much higher. 520 is the number of known cases, there is some speculation that the number of unknown cases would double that number. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 - 2:21PM
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On Monday, June 22, Chandra and I gave a presentation on human trafficking to a group of at Kanata Community Christian Reformed Church. The evening was organized by Jacquie Mudde, Chandra’s aunt, and Lois Kerr, both of whom are involved in the Ottawa Intercity Ministries (OIM).Jacquie and Lois invited us to speak about trafficking in order to learn more about the issue, and particularly its impact on vulnerable women. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Monday, June 15th, 2009 - 8:20AM
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One of the crucial ways to fight human trafficking is to build awareness about the prevalence of this horrific crime, and that is exactly what many community groups in Canada have begun to do.
I went to an excellent event this past Wednesday evening that was hosted by members of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) from St. John the Baptist Parish in Perth, Ontario. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Thursday, June 4th, 2009 - 1:05PM
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The Vancouver 2010 Olympics are drawing near. Construction projects are being completed. Tickets are being sold. Athletes are training hard in anticipation of their moment in the spotlight.
And human traffickers are on the lookout for vulnerable people – mainly women and children – to bring to Vancouver and exploit during the Games. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 - 2:59PM
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Joy Smith’s Private Members’ Bill, C-268 – which aims to establish a mandatory minimum sentence for the trafficking of minors – will be voted on in the House of Commons on Wednesday April 22 2009. Read more »
In 2008, a man named Imani Nakpangi was convicted of trafficking a 15-year-old girl. For over two years, Nakpangi sold her daily for sex and controlled her through beatings and threats of violence. By the time he was discovered by police, he had made a personal profit of over $360,000 from exploiting her.
Many Canadians might be disturbed to learn that human trafficking still exists today – and even more shocked to discover it is happening in their own backyards. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Friday, April 3rd, 2009 - 8:25AM
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I was looking up information about Joy Smith’s bill on the Parliament of Canada website for my blog yesterday and found two other bills on human trafficking that are being processed. Read more »
In September 2010, Conservative MP Joy Smith released Connecting the Dots, a proposal to combat human trafficking in Canada. Through highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal, we explore the need for a comprehensive national action plan. While it is imperative for Canada to implement an action plan, should the government adopt the proposal outlined in Connecting the Dots? 
Human trafficking is rooted in long-standing gender, race, and power inequalities. It is a multi-faceted social problem, fed by serious poverty and social exclusion – especially the lack of economic options for poor women and girls. It is influenced by situations of corruption and made more challenging by the complexity of international jurisdictional issues.
