Non-profit aims to prevent labour trafficking in Manitoba's migrant-reliant trucking industry

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 5:24 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

A Manitoba-based foundation that supports survivors of quality trafficking hopes to rise consciousness astir the contented of labour trafficking among workers successful the progressively migrant-reliant trucking industry.

The Joy Smith Foundation has partnered with the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) and section constabulary successful a run to amended pass victims connected however to study attempts to coerce them into unsafe moving conditions done deceptive recruitment practices, withheld wages and threats of retaliation.

The instauration said Thursday the propulsion volition see acquisition billboards, posters and flyers implicit the adjacent fewer months  to pass nonrecreational drivers, trucking institution leaders and the nationalist astir the signs of labour trafficking.

"Education genuinely is our top weapon," said CEO Janet Campbell.

"If radical recognize the contented and they recognize what to bash if they're ever confronted, they past go empowered to instrumentality enactment and disrupt this from happening."

Federal information shows Manitoba businesses successful the trades, transport, instrumentality operation and related occupations were cleared to prosecute 1,467 impermanent overseas workers successful 2023 — an summation of astir 1,300 per cent from 106 5 years earlier.

Program criticized

Canada's impermanent overseas workers programme has been criticized arsenic being unfastened to abuse, including labour trafficking. A caller Amnesty International study condemned it arsenic "inherently exploitative," arguing it violates Canada's commitments to planetary law.

"Those individuals are coming to our state to find a amended life," Campbell said. "They're not acquainted with our customs, they're not acquainted with our laws and the migration process, they're truly uncertain that successful fact, they are adjacent being victimized."

Campbell says employers are heavy progressive successful workers' migration process due to the fact that they are usually the ones who assistance bring them to Canada, and that creates a consciousness of spot employers tin exploit to manipulate radical into doing things specified arsenic turning successful their passports oregon person them speaking retired volition get them deported.

Campbell said forced labour incidents are seldom reported due to the fact that victims aren't alert the authorities tin support them.

'We're trying to get up of the situation'

A full of 43 quality trafficking incidents were reported successful Manitoba from 2013 to 2023, according to Statistics Canada. However, 4,543 cases were reported crossed the country, including 2,914 successful Ontario.

There was lone 1 reported incidental successful Manitoba successful 2023.

"We're trying to get up of the situation," said Rachelle Baker, seat of the MTA's quality resources council. 

"We perceive stories each time and specially moving with recruiting and bringing caller drivers on. It's stories that you wouldn't deliberation would hap successful Manitoba oregon successful Winnipeg, but it's happening each astir us."

Robert MacKenzie, committee seat with Winnipeg Crime Stoppers, said the run is astir letting cognize radical they tin travel guardant to the authorities without fearing retribution.

"If you spot something, accidental something," helium said.