Danielle Smith
Alberta is taking another step in the battle against human trafficking.
The government announced Friday it is investing $4-million to create the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
“It reminds me of the old saying that evil only triumphs when good people do nothing,” Premier Danielle Smith said. “Well not here. Not in Alberta.”
The government is establishing the office in partnership with three community organizations: Native Counselling Services of Alberta, REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities and #NotInMyCity.
Smith made the announcement Friday during a news conference in Calgary.
“We can’t afford to close our eyes to the problem of human trafficking,” Smith said. “And we can’t afford to close our eyes to those who are vulnerable.”
Human trafficking falls into three main categories: sex, labour and organs.
According to government statistics, between 2011 and 2021 more than 3,500 incidents of human trafficking were reported across Canada.
Ninety-six per cent of victims are women and girls, with 25 per cent under the age of 18.
Many incidents are not reported.
Creating the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons is one of the recommendations from the task force struck to address the problem.
The office will connect victims and survivors to resources, while creating more awareness about the problem of human trafficking.
The office will collect data that will be used to monitor the effectiveness of service delivery to close gaps in tracking cross-jurisdictional trafficking incidents.
“This is a real program for people who need it, and we’re not finished yet,” Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said.
April Eve Wiberg spent 10 years being trafficked in cities across Canada and the United States.
Wiberg said if a friend had not bought her a one-way ticket to Canada, she would have died in New York City and joined the list of murdered and missing Indigenous women.
Wiberg was able to build a life with the help of friends and loved ones.
“I now know my true worth,” Wiberg said.
Wiberg added that as long as there are “buyers” there will be human trafficking.
Wiberg said groomers, pimps, profiters and buys must be held accountable.
“As long as there are clients there will be victims,” Wiberg said.
Country star Paul Brandt of #NotInMyCity, a non-profit organization working to prevent, disrupt and end human trafficking and sexual exploitation, said there is a transformation taking place in Alberta.
“To know better is to do better,” said Brandt, who is founder of #NotInMyCity. “We are setting the bar for the rest of Canada.”
#NotInMyCity has built alliances among community organizations since 2016 to spur action and ensure the voices of victims and survivors are heard.
“Where we shine a light, there is hope,” Brandt said.
Marlene Orr, CEO of Native Counselling Services of Alberta, welcomed the establishment of the new office.
“I am very grateful that the province has heard, and acted, so swiftly on this issue,” Orr said.
Jan Fox, executive director of REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities, said human trafficking is a complex problem that requires a systemic approach.
“We know that this approach works and to scale it up to a provincial level is landmark,” Fox said.
