The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking reported a record high in calls to its national hotline in 2025. The hotline received over 5,900 calls nationwide, marking a 14 percent increase from the previous year.
Since its launch in 2019, the organization has observed a consistent year-over-year rise in reported incidents. While sex trafficking remains the predominant concern, the center is also noting a steady increase in labor trafficking cases.
Analysis of reported incidents since the hotline's inception shows that trafficking has been most frequently documented in Canada's largest provinces. Ontario leads with 66 percent of reported incidents, followed by Alberta at 11 percent, British Columbia at nine percent, and Quebec at seven percent.
Experts emphasize that traffickers often build trust through manipulation and control, rather than overt force. Julia Drydyk, executive director of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, stated that trafficking rarely begins with coercion but rather through grooming and the gradual erosion of an individual's autonomy, often occurring "in plain sight."