Statistics Canada says police are reporting a record high number of human trafficking incidents in Canada in 2019.
There were over 500 which was up 44% from a year earlier. At 1.4 incidents per 100,000 population, the 2019 rate was the highest since comparable data became available in 2009.
Stats Canada says over the past decade, the annual number of human trafficking incidents reported by Canadian police trended upward. This may represent actual growth in human trafficking activity, but may also reflect better training among police to detect the crime, as well as recent efforts to strengthen mechanisms to combat it. While on the rise, human trafficking represented a small proportion of criminal activity reported to police in 2019 at only 0.02 per cent.

Human trafficking is a crime that primarily target girls and women. Of the 336 victims reported by police in 2019, 95 per cent were girls and women. More than one in five were girls aged 17 and younger.
About 8 in 10 people accused in human trafficking–related incidents were men.
Only 38 per cent of human trafficking incidents were considered solved.
Sex trade–related offences accounted for one-quarter of the charges laid in cases involving human trafficking charges. Other charges commonly linked to human trafficking cases included sexual offences (9%) and physical assault (7%).
Less than 1 in 10 human trafficking charges resulted in a guilty finding. The vast majority of human trafficking charges were stayed, withdrawn, dismissed or discharged.