Read Above Ground’s post-hearing rebuttal comments submitted to the Office of the United States Trade Representative following its determination that Canada has failed to enforce its forced labour import ban.
Above Ground commissioned Goldblatt Partners to provide a legal opinion of private member’s bill C-251. The bill proposes legislative amendments that could significantly strengthen enforcement of Canada’s import ban on goods produced by forced labour.
In this letter to the new prime minister of Canada, Above Ground and other members of the Coalition Against Forced Labour in Trade call for action to end forced labour in Canada’s global supply chains.
Importing goods made with forced labour has been prohibited under Canadian law since 2020. However, customs authorities have only once taken enforcement action under this prohibition. In this report we examine flaws in Canada’s enforcement framework and needed reforms, based on analysis from Goldblatt Partners LLP.
New investigations are highlighting once again the rampant use of forced labour globally. We’re working with civil society partners to urge immediate action by countries like Canada to halt and prevent this abuse.
Ottawa has promised new legislation to “strengthen” the forced labour import ban and “eradicate” forced labour from Canadian supply chains. In this submission to the government, we call for the adoption of a mandatory due diligence law and reforms to improve enforcement of the import ban.
Amidst increasing awareness of Canadian ties to forced labour overseas, Ottawa is being urged to make better use of legal tools to attack the problem. In this brief, we take stock of Canada’s existing legislation and policies related to forced labour in international supply chains, and how they are — or aren’t — being enforced.
In a joint submission with the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, we’ve written to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery to share our concerns that Canadian laws are inadequate to prevent or remedy forced labour in companies’ supply chains.
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.