Human trafficking pledge

Photo: The Canadian Press

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is promising funding for police, survivor services and public awareness to fight human trafficking.

The previous Conservative government created a four-year plan to combat human trafficking in 2012, which expired in 2016 shortly after the Liberals took office.

Scheer says the lack of a strategy has sent a message that fighting human trafficking is no longer a federal priority.

Scheer is promising to revive the Harper-era plan.

He also vows to make changes to the Criminal Code to make it easier to convict people accused of human trafficking .

The plan also calls for changes to end automatic bail for those charged with trafficking (though there is no "automatic bail" in Canadian law), and would make those convicted serve consecutive sentences for each victim, rather than concurrent terms.