Parliament will soon vote on Bill S-211, a corporate reporting law meant to "fight" forced and child labour in supply chains. Experts who’ve weighed in on the law have said it will do little, if anything, to achieve that aim.
How are Canadian firms responding to reports of forced labour in their supply chains? We asked dozens of companies whose suppliers have faced high-profile allegations of abuse. More than half of them didn’t reply.
Governments in Europe are legally requiring businesses to respect human rights in their supply chains. Instead of following their lead, Canada is expected to adopt a law that will merely require companies to say what they're doing, if anything, to reduce the risk that they're sourcing goods produced by forced labour.
Above Ground has submitted the following brief to the parliamentary committee studying Bill S-211, which would require companies to report on the steps they're taking, if any, to address the risk of forced labour and child labour in their supply chains.
In this letter to The Hill Times, Above Ground's director Karen Hamilton argues that Canadian lawmakers should build on global best practice in supply chain legislation and adopt a mandatory human rights due diligence law—and not ineffective reporting legislation such as the proposed Modern Slavery Act.
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