KENORA — The federal government’s appointment of a longtime advocate for victims’ rights as chief adviser on human trafficking was great news to the coordinator of Treaty Three Police Service’s Maanaji’win Project.
Gary Anandasangaree, the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, announced Jennifer Richardson’s appointment to the adviser position, with a three-year mandate, last week.
Richardson, herself a survivor of human trafficking, was the first director of Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Office. She has been the Ontario Native Women’s Association’s senior director of strategy and communications since 2022.
“I think it’s definitely a great appointment, from the (perspective of) the Maanaji’win Project. We commend the government for appointing Ms. Richardson,” Maanaji’win Project coordinator Jody Smith said.
Richardson brings “extensive experience and personal insights as a survivor,” Smith said.
“I do look forward to working with Ms. Richardson to develop any culturally relevant, trauma-informed, victim-centred approaches to prevent human trafficking and to continue to support survivors within our communities.”
The Maanaji’win Project works with Treaty 3 communities to raise awareness of and combat human trafficking.
A government news release said Richardson “will provide ongoing advice and recommendations to the Minister of Public Safety on the Government of Canada’s efforts to combat human trafficking, work collaboratively with domestic and international stakeholders and Indigenous partners to share best practices and strengthen our collective response, and bring awareness to the crime.”
Her mandate includes working with Anandasangaree and Indigenous partners toward fulfilling recommendations from a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
The government release quotes Richardson as saying “this appointment is very personal to me and signifies my commitment to safeguard some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Concerns about human trafficking came to the forefront recently in Grassy Narrows (Asubpeeschoseewagong) First Nation, where a community checkpoint was set up at the highway entrance the community for the first two weeks of 2025.
A notice posted last week on social media said the checkpoint was set up in response to “recent incidents involving attempted abductions of our band members.”
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline number is 1-833-900-1010.
