Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri has deleted a post on X which claimed the affordability crisis has led to parents trafficking their children.
This comes after The Canadian Press sent questions to Ferreri about the post, which followed a visit to the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in Peterborough, Ont.
In the now-deleted post shared on August 16, Ferreri said there has been an increase in human trafficking and domestic violence and linked those trends to affordability.
“The cost of living crisis has led parents to traffic their own children,” Ferreri said.
On Wednesday, Ferreri said in a statement that the organization shared with her “deeply worrying statistics and shocking stories.”
“I acknowledge that the statement I issued after my meeting was worded in an unartful manner,” he said.
“While a cost-of-living crisis undoubtedly leads to increases in a wide range of social problems—from drug abuse to crime to families struggling to find food and shelter—it is of course by no means an excuse for human trafficking.”
Receive daily national news
Receive the day’s top stories, including political, economic and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Ferreri’s now-deleted post also linked an increase in reports of domestic violence downtown to the cost of living, saying “survival leads to crime.”
She had blamed the NDP and the Liberals for their “soft-on-crime policies” that she says are deterring survivors from coming forward.
“We can change policies to hold criminals accountable. We can change policies to make life more affordable,” he said in the post.
In a statement, the executive director of the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre says many clients have shared over the past few decades that they were trafficked by a parent or guardian and that this problem is not new.
“We do not hold any particular government or party responsible for sexual violence, but we call on all forms of government and all parties to take sexual violence seriously and invest in prevention and support for survivors,” said Brittany McMillan.
Ferreri serves as a critic for conservatives on issues of families, children and social development.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
