A private member's bill calling for an amendment to the Criminal Code that would see mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking convictions involving victims under 18 passed third reading in Ottawa last night.

Since tabling Bill C-268 earlier this year, Winnipeg MP Joy Smith has presented signatures from more than 14,000 Canadians "demanding that the penalties to child traffickers fully reflect the gravity of the crime," a statement released by her office read.

In February 2007, Smith tabled a motion calling on the government to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking. Though it passed unanimously, that strategy has yet to be created.

By TAMARA CHERRY, SUN MEDIA