CANADA: INTERIM TIP ASSESSMENT INPUT

UNCLAS OTTAWA 003101

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR WHA/PPC AND G/TIP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN PHUM CA
SUBJECT: CANADA: INTERIM TIP ASSESSMENT INPUT

REF: STATE 228298


1. Poloff met with Alain Tellier, Deputy Director of the
International Crime and Terrorism Division at Foreign Affairs
Canada, on November 1, to discuss the requirement for an
interim Trafficking in Person (TIP) assessment, based on
Canada being elevated from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 country in
this year's TIP report. Tellier is the co-chair of the
Government of Canada Interdepartmental Working Group on TIP
issues (GOC IWG-TIP),comprised of 17 GOC departments and
agencies.


2. The following inputs are keyed to the questions on Canada
contained in reftel:

Q1. What general anti-trafficking progress has the
Government of Canada made since May 2004? Provide details of
salient achievements or setbacks.

A1. The GOC IWG-TIP notes the following achievements:

a) TIP was identified as a government priority in the Speech
from the Throne that opened the new session of the Canadian
Parliament in October.

b) Prime Minister Martin specifically raised the matter of
TIP in his speech to the UN General Assembly in September.

c) A roundtable discussion, with participants from the
federal government, provincial government of British
Columbia, the Vancouver Police, the RCMP, academics and a
cross section of local NGO's, was held in Vancouver in
November, to discuss issues related to TIP, including
prevention and awareness and local issues.

d) At the Cross Border Crime Forum, held in October, a
proposal was approved to conduct a joint U.S.-Canada threat
assessment on TIP.

Q2. Have Canadian law enforcement personnel started using
the 2003 TIP law?

A2. According to the GOC IWG-TIP, there are at least five
ongoing TIP investigations.

Q3. Have steps been taken to close down the large flow of
Korean trafficking victims transiting British Columbia en
route to the U.S.?

A3. According to the GOC IWG-TIP, "Information currently
held by Canadian authorities does not lead to the conclusion
that such a situation exists and we would welcome any
additional information available in this respect. Canada
remains committed to maintaining its close cooperation with
U.S. authorities in securing the safe and efficient
management of our common border. The Canada/U.S. Integrated
Border Enforcement Teams (IBETs) remain an important tool in
this respect, as was recently reiterated by the Deputy Prime
Minister to the Secretary of Homeland Security, when they met
in October. IBETs are multi-agency law enforcement teams
that emphasize a harmonized approach to Canadian and U.S.
efforts to target cross-border criminal and terrorist
activity. Regarding the fact that nationals from the
Republic of Korea can travel visa free to Canada, it should
be noted that Canadian visa policy is based on the premise
that all persons require a visa to enter Canada unless
specifically exempted. Decisions to amend visa policy are
based on a thorough analysis of a number of risk and benefit
factors associated with the movement of foreign nationals.
Canada reviews visa requirements on an ongoing basis. As
this is a secret process, it is not possible to disclose
which countries have or may be under review."

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