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FederalDid not become law (session ended)43rd Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill S-228 explained in plain English

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons)

Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament
Legislature / Parliament
Parliament of Canada
Session
43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill S-228
Full title
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons)
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
At second reading in the Senate
Last updated
Mar 16, 2021

Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.

Chamber
Parliament of Canada
Current Stage
At second reading in the Senate
Latest Activity
Mar 16, 2021
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

This bill amends the Criminal Code to define exploitation for the purposes of trafficking in persons offences.

What It Means

Bill S-228, titled 'An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons)', aims to clarify the definition of 'exploitation' within the Criminal Code. This clarification is intended to help establish whether the offence of trafficking in persons has been committed. The bill proposes to replace the current definition of exploitation with a new one that specifies the actions involved in exploitation for the purpose of sections 279.01 to 279.03 of the Criminal Code. It also proposes to repeal a subsection of the Criminal Code that lists factors a court may consider when determining exploitation.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Criminal Code to provide a new definition of exploitation for the purposes of sections 279.01 to 279.03.
  • Specifies that exploitation occurs when a person's conduct causes another person to provide or offer labour or a service, and this conduct involves the use or threat of force or coercion, deception or fraud, abuse of trust or power, or similar acts.
  • Repeals a subsection of the Criminal Code that outlines factors a court may consider when determining exploitation.
Who Is Affected
  • Individuals accused of trafficking in persons
  • Victims of trafficking in persons
  • The courts
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify the exact date it will come into force.
  • The bill does not provide details on potential penalties or consequences beyond the clarification of existing offences.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Criminal Code
amended

Section 279.04 is replaced with a new definition of exploitation for the purposes of trafficking in persons offences. A subsection detailing factors for courts to consider in determining exploitation is repealed.

Source: Clause 1

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Parliamentary Process

Step 1
First reading
Mar 16, 2021
Completed

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Introduction and first reading, Mar 16, 2021
End of stage activity, Mar 16, 2021
Chamber sittings
Introduction and first reading - Mar 16, 2021

On March 16, 2021, the Senate held its first reading of Bill S-228, an Act to amend the Criminal Code concerning trafficking in persons, and scheduled its second reading for two days hence.

Step 2
Second reading
Date not listed
No activity

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 3
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 1
First reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 2
Second reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 3
Consideration in committee
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 4
Report stage
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Step 5
Third reading
Not reached yet
Not reached

We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.

Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Salma Ataullahjan
Senator | Conservative Party of Canada | Ontario
Jurisdiction
Federal Parliament

No published representative vote breakdown

This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced