More than 120 local residents attended a Town Hall meeting Monday evening on human sex trafficking.
The federal Liberals have promised to take steps to decriminalize prostitution, to supposedly create safer sex trade practices.
The meeting was hosted by Tamara Jansen, the Conservative candidate for Cloverdale-Langley City, at the Douglas Recreation Centre on Feb. 25.
“Prostitution is not simply a free market choice made by women to sell their services as the Liberals would have you believe. Women are trafficked and coerced into it. It’s not a choice,” Jansen said.
The federal Conservative candidate said the party believes “in the dignity of women” and is concerned about the implications of the Liberal move to decriminalize prostitution. She noted that the Dutch legalized its brother industry in 2000 and argues that has proven to be a disaster.
“We do not want to make Canada into America’s brothel,” she said.
The local businesswoman was joined by Arnold Viersen and Ted Falk, Conservative MPs, as well as Brian McConaghy of Ratanak International.
Ratanak International is an organization dedicated to alleviating human suffering, including international efforts to stop human trafficking.
““Legalizing Prostitution is not something we want to take lightly,” McConaghy noted. “We have a huge responsibility to protect young women from anything that even broaches legalization. My hope would be that we elect a government that manifestly represents people that say we value human beings.”
McConaghy was a member of the forensic team that worked on the Robert Pickton case.
#Didyouknow…Ratanak means "precious gem" in Khmer? It's reflective of how we view the Cambodian people – precious and valuable. The "Emerald Gala" will be on April 7 – an evening to celebrate the dignity, courage and value of the Cambodians we serve. https://t.co/U7mPUK6MXD pic.twitter.com/3IOvtw7NgL
— RatanakINTL (@RatanakINT) March 23, 2018
“I am proud to have tabled a motion in the House instructing the Health Committee to look at the negative impact easily accessible, violent and degrading sexual content online is having on men, women and children,” said Viersen, the MP for Peace River-Westlock in Alberta.
“Pornography is the marketing tool for sex trafficking. We need to have, at the very least, more secure ways of keeping this material out of the hands of children.”
Falk noted that the human trafficking debate in Canada must include a discussion of First Nations.
“Indigenous women are disproportionately trafficked in the sex industry, representing 56% of all victims in Canada. If the Liberals were truly concerned about women’s issues and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, they would not be suggesting the legalization of prostitution,” Falk said.
"Whether its forced labour or #sextrafficking, human trafficking exists across our country & a national awareness day will help equip Canadians to identify trafficking and end it in their communities." #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay #ItHappensHere #KnowHumanTrafficking pic.twitter.com/fm4AvPA4of
— Arnold Viersen, MP (@ArnoldViersen) February 22, 2019