Above Ground submitted to the Department of Finance’s 2026 pre-budget consultations with three recommendations, summarized below.
Recommendation 1 – The Government of Canada should provide Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency with sufficient budgetary resources to fully enforce Canada’s forced labour import ban, particularly the measures proposed under Bill C-35, An Act respecting the prohibition of the importation of goods produced by forced labour, if enacted.
Recommendation 2 – The Government of Canada should allocate sufficient budgetary resources for the development, effective implementation and rigorous enforcement of legislation requiring Canadian companies to conduct thorough due diligence to protect the rights of workers and communities globally and to enable access to remedy, including through Canadian courts, to those adversely affected by Canadian business activity.
Recommendation 3 – The Government of Canada should allocate sufficient budgetary resources for the development of an effective non-judicial grievance mechanism to receive complaints of human rights abuse linked to Canadian business activity abroad. The mechanism should have the authority to undertake independent investigations, compel documents and testimony from witnesses, and issue public findings of fact and recommendations to the government.
The full submission detailing each recommendation is linked below.