Bill C-35 — New Law to Block Goods Made with Forced Labour
Ban Forced Labour Imports
This proposed law aims to stop goods made with forced labour from entering Canada. If it passes, it would be illegal to bring any product into the country if forced labour was used to make it, even just a part of it. Customs officers at the border would get new powers. They could stop and hold imported items for up to 90 days if they suspect forced labour was involved. The government could also create a list of specific goods, companies, or countries that are suspected of using forced labour. If you import something on this list, you would have to provide information to prove it was made without forced labour. If you don't, those goods would be treated as illegal to import. This proposed law would affect any business or person who brings goods into Canada, from large companies to small online sellers. They would need to carefully check where their products come from to make sure no forced labour is used anywhere in the making process. For everyday Canadians, this means greater assurance that the products they buy are not linked to human rights abuses. This law matters because it helps Canada fight against forced labour around the world. It shows that Canada is serious about protecting human rights and ensures that Canadians can buy products knowing they were made ethically.
Canada's government has introduced a new law to stop goods made with forced labour from entering the country. This law will require companies importing products to prove that no forced labour was used to make them. The government will also create a list of goods that might have been produced using forced labour.
This article reports on what the government is proposing.
The article correctly explains important parts of the proposed law.
Where this proposed law falls on the policy spectrums that Canadians care about
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Sign up free — 30 secThis proposed law aims to stop goods made with forced labour from entering Canada, which is a strong step against human rights abuses. It uses Canada's border agency to enforce this ban and allows the government to create a list of risky goods or regions. However, the law leaves many important details about how it will be enforced to future rules, and it will be very hard to trace forced labour in complex global supply chains.
Things to Watch For
- The law does not clearly state how the government will investigate and prove forced labour in goods.
- Small businesses might struggle to trace their supply chains and meet new requirements without specific support.
- The government has not yet decided when key parts of this law will actually start to be enforced.
- The law does not outline specific penalties for importing goods made with forced labour, beyond covering storage costs.
- There are no requirements for the government to publicly report on how well this ban is working or how many goods are stopped.
- The law does not require Canadian companies to proactively check their supply chains for forced labour, only to respond if their goods are suspected.
- The process for how goods or regions get added to or removed from the 'risky goods' list is not fully explained.
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How likely this proposed law is to be approved
This proposed law was introduced by the government, which means it has strong support from the ruling party and is very likely to pass. Its goal of stopping goods made by forced labor is also widely supported.
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