An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years)[1] (French: Loi modifiant le Code criminel (peine minimale pour les infractions de traite de personnes âgées de moins de dixhuit ans)) was a private member's bill that was enacted on June 29, 2010, by the 40th Canadian Parliament.[2] Until that time, no other private member's bill had passed since the 2008 Canadian federal election.[3] The bill that led to the Act, Bill C-268, was sponsored by Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan—St. Paul.[4] The act established a mandatory sentencing of five years' imprisonment for those charged with the trafficking of children within Canada.[5]
Before the bill was passed, there was already a maximum sentence for trafficking children in the country, but there was no minimum sentence.[6] A previous attempt to have the bill passed had failed because of prorogation.[7] At the first and second readings, the Bloc Québécois was the only political party that opposed the bill.[8]
Anti-pornography activist Judy Nuttall had tried to get the bill passed before the 2010 Winter Olympics; she said that poor children commonly become sexual slaves at internationally attended events such as the Olympic Games.[9] Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans also supported the bill before it was passed, saying, "Bill C-268 is one step forward for the First Nations women and children of Canada."[10]
References
- ^ An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years), SC 2010, c 3. Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Donald Oliver (June 29, 2010). "Debates of the Senate (Hansard)". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ "Canada Serves Up Justice for the "Voiceless People"". SOS Children's Villages – Canada. June 17, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Private Member's Bill". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ Kate Chappell (June 28, 2010). "Abolish Slavery... in Canada". The Mark. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ Mia Rabson (May 5, 2009). "Manitoba MP says Bloc standing in way of bill". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ Lorna Dueck (February 5, 2010). "Sex for sale is hardly sporting". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ "MP Joy Smith to Attend Human Trafficking Forum". The Filipino Journal. 23 (14). July 20 – August 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ "Sex slave bill dies with Parliament's end". Barrie Advance. January 7, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ "Funding announced to stop the trafficking of aboriginal women and children". The Filipino Journal. 23 (8). April 20 – May 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved May 29, 2013.