Neither Canada nor China can afford to tolerate these criminal practices. They place countless lives in danger, and undermine public confidence in both our immigration and refugee programs, and in the many close ties that our countries enjoy. This is why Canada will adopt tough new measures to deal with those who would abuse its immigration and refugee system. By closing the back door to human smugglers and traffickers, we can ensure that the front door remains open to immigrants and genuine refugees. Permit me to elaborate.
People smuggling and trafficking Human trafficking is akin to human slavery.
The goal of traffickers is to evade detection at ports of entry in order to transport their victims into human servitude. Debt is typically repaid over a short and cruel lifetime of illicit activity, sexual exploitation and forced labour. Just two weeks ago, the international press reported that a boat carrying up to 220 smuggled migrants disappeared and was believed to have sunk in the Indian Ocean. This deplorable trade in human beings has increased considerably over the past few years, and countries all over the world have been affected by it. The United Nations believes that globally, up to four million people are smuggled across national borders each year.