OTTAWA, May 25, 2015 - Today, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, issued the following statement on National Missing Children's Day.
“There is no greater fear for a parent than the possibility of a missing child. Today is an important day to remember not only children who have gone missing, but also their loved ones. I want to thank all police officers who work tirelessly to keep our children and our communities safe and secure.
Every year, thousands of children go missing around the world. National Missing Children's Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness of missing children cases in Canada and to remind all Canadians of the important role they can play in bringing these children home.
That is why I was pleased to take part in today’s launch of Facebook AMBER Alerts, a new tool that will mobilize the online community to help locate abducted Canadian children. This initiative complements our Government’s strong record to keep our streets and communities safe, particularly when it comes to the most vulnerable members of society – our children.
Missing Children's Day is also an opportunity to highlight and commend the collaborative efforts of all ‘Our Missing Children’ program partners who work tirelessly to reunite missing children with their families. The program is a collaborative effort of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Department of Justice. Through this program, partner organizations exchange vital information to help locate missing children and reunite them with their families.
On December 16, 2014, our Government passed Lindsey’s Law, in honour of Lindsey Nicholls, who disappeared in 1993 and tragically has never been found. Our legislation enables the creation of three new DNA-based humanitarian indices (Missing Persons, Relatives of Missing Persons and Human Remains). These indices will give investigators additional tools needed to advance missing persons and unidentified remains investigations and help bring much-needed answers to families of missing persons, including children.
We have introduced the Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, which will better protect children from a range of sexual offences and exploitation at home and abroad.
This Bill brings forward several new measures, including the High Risk Child Sex Offender Database Act to establish a new publicly accessible database of high-risk child sex offenders who have been the subject of a public notification in a provincial/territorial jurisdiction.
I ask all Canadians to help by visiting www.canadasmissing.ca/. Reporting information about missing children's cases could help bring a loved one home to their family.”
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Jeremy Laurin
Press Secretary
Office of Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
613-991-2924
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
media@ps-sp.gc.ca
