CANADA SIGNS UN CONVENTION AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME AND OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS

OTTAWA, December 15, 2000     The Government of Canada announced today that it signed the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) in Palermo, Italy, on December 14, 2000.

Canada also signed two supplemental protocols. These are the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

"This Convention and these protocols represent a big step forward in establishing a framework for effective international co-operation in the fight against transnational organized crime", said Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley. "Canada is committed to combatting organized crime both within its borders and internationally and has played a key role in the drafting of these UN documents."

The TOC Convention provides a tool-based approach for fighting organized crime through international co-operation and law enforcement provisions and enhancing extradition and mutual legal assistance. It also contains provisions that require the criminalization of activities such as conspiracy, money laundering, corruption and intimidation of witnesses and officers of the crown.

"The Convention will stimulate international co-operation in mutual legal assistance, extradition, disposition of the proceeds of crime and law enforcement" said Justice Minister Anne McLellan. "Expanding the number of extradition partners and mutual assistance relationships is essential when tackling the transnational criminal challenges posed by globalization."

"Communities across the country are directly affected by transnational organized crime. The Convention contains practical measures for international co-operation in law enforcement that will prevent criminals from hiding behind borders", said Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay. "International and local police co-operation are vital in the fight against organized crime. Canada's commitment strengthens our resolve to put our National Agenda on Organized Crime into action in collaboration with provincial governments. "

The Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air is specifically designed to curtail the illegal movement of persons across international borders. It will establish international agreements for co-operation and enforcement that will prevent human smugglers from using international boundaries to escape justice. Signing countries are obliged to criminalize migrant smuggling and counteract methods used by smugglers by using proven deterrents such as enhancing travel document security. The Protocol also provides for international co-operation between law enforcement and other agencies to combat migrant smuggling, and will facilitate the return of smuggled migrants.

The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children addresses a growing trend in transnational organized crime to physically move people through deception, coercion or force in order to exploit these victims, most commonly through either sexual exploitation or forced labour. The Protocol defines the offence of trafficking in persons and provides the basis for international information exchange on the problem as well as introducing other forms of co-operation to eliminate such activities. It also contains provisions relating to victim and witness assistance and protection.

"The supplemental protocols will build upon what Citizenship and Immigration Canada is doing now to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, " said Citizenship and Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan. "The protocols will help us protect persons who are exploited, while cracking down against the smugglers and traffickers. They establish a multilateral system for co-operation and enforcement that will provide the international community with much needed tools and the legal framework to prosecute and convict human smugglers and traffickers."

It was Canada who first put crime on the G-8 agenda when it hosted the Summit in Halifax in 1995. Work undertaken by the G-8 Senior Experts Group on Transnational Organized Crime provided crucial support and guidance in the formulation of the Convention. Citizenship and Immigration Canada led the G-8 efforts in developing the two protocols.

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Ref.:

Farah Mohamed
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Derik Hodgson
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration
(613) 954-1064

Dan Brien
Director of Communications
Office of the Solicitor General
(613) 991-2874

Jennifer Sloan
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851