Human Trafficking Bill

Tucked away in last Friday's newspaper was a short article with a small picture, but the picture caught my eye - it was MP Joy Smith.  Despite our Parliament proroguing for the Vancouver Olympics, Joy Smith kept speaking up about the importance of passing her private member's bill regarding a minimum sentence for those caught trafficking a minor.  "The bill sets a minimum sentence of 5 years for anyone convicted of human trafficking when the victim is a child, and 6 years if there are aggravating circumstances such as violence" (Winnipeg Free Press).  Those numbers may sound low, but they are huge considering that the minimum sentence was ZERO before this bill was passed.  It was especially important to make this change within our laws, given our proximity to the USA who's minimum is 10 years.