VZCZCXRO9446
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0044 0162129
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 162129Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8999
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL, G/TIP (BARBARA FLECK) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KTIP SMIG KCRM KWMN CA
SUBJECT: RAISING TIP AWARENESS IN CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOLS 
 
REF: 08 OTTAWA 1560 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  A Catholic religious group has produced an 
educational packet to raise awareness of trafficking in 
persons among high school students in advance of the 2010 
Vancouver Olympic Games.  While the Royal Canadian Mounted 
Police (RCMP) has downplayed the possibility of increased 
trafficking during the Games, NGOs have claimed a clear 
pattern of trafficking during large international sporting 
events, and are working to boost awareness.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The Canadian Religious Conference (CRC), an 
association of 290 leaders of Catholic religious 
congregations in Canada, has prepared and is beginning to 
distribute kits to educate high school students about human 
trafficking in advance of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. 
 The RCMP has publicly dismissed the likelihood of an 
increase in trafficking during the 2010 Games (reftel), but 
NGOs claim to have detected increased trafficking during 
large sporting events, when demand for trafficked commercial 
sex workers and labor for construction increases.  In 
November 2007, the Future Group (an NGO established by 
University of British Columbia law professor Benjamin Perrin) 
released a report highlighting the risk of increased 
trafficking during the upcoming Games. 
 
¶3. (U) Entitled "We are a Global Village - Human Trafficking 
and the 2010 Olympics," the user-friendly education kits 
include a DVD, user guide, and teacher notes.  The materials 
were designed with teachers in mind, and are deliberately 
easy to use.  With teachers under strict curriculum 
guidelines, CRC staff told poloff that the kits are "short 
and sweet," aiming to spark teacher interest by providing 
sufficient materials for two class periods.  Conservative 
Member of Parliament Joy Smith, a long-time anti-TIP 
activist, has endorsed the kits, telling media that the CRC 
had created "a compelling and comprehensive tool for teachers 
to use to educate their students about this horrendous abuse 
of human rights."  Smith added that "educating our students 
is a crucial step to finally ending this modern day slavery." 
 CRC staff told poloff that the Ottawa Catholic School Board 
Superintendent's office had also endorsed the initiative. 
The CRC has also supported the fight against TIP through a 
number of initiatives, including a theater production to 
raise trafficking awareness. 
 
¶4. (U) The kits can be ordered from the CRC website at 
www.crc-canada.org for CAD $8 apiece (or CAD $6 for orders of 
at least ten kits).  According to CRC staff, CRC will 
initially target Catholic high schools in Ottawa, Quebec, and 
Alberta, but also intend eventually to distribute the kits to 
public high schools around Canada.  The CRC staff clarified 
that only one page of the kits is religious in nature, and 
could easily be adapted or removed for use in public high 
schools.  CRC staff added that the kits could also be used to 
educate adult audiences and that several organizations in the 
U.S. have already placed orders.  The CRC hopes that the kit 
will soon be advertised on the U.S.-based 
www.notforsalecampaign.org website. 
 
¶5. (U) Comment: As elsewhere in the world, Canadian NGOs have 
a key role to play in working to raise awareness on TIP. 
Mission Canada will continue to strengthen cooperation with 
Canadian government agencies as well as NGOs to build 
understanding of the trafficking risks associated with the 
2010 Winter Games. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
QVisit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS