The Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act aims to help stop forced labor and child labor. It makes certain government groups and companies report on what they are doing to lower the risk of these practices in their work. The Act lets the Minister ask for information from these groups and allows for inspections.
The law applies to government institutions that make, buy, or send out goods, and to companies that make, grow, take out, or handle goods in Canada or other countries, or that import goods made outside Canada. These groups must report each year on what they are doing to prevent forced labor or child labor in their supply chains. The report should include details about their structure, what they do, their supply chains, and their policies to stop these bad practices. They should also include what parts of their work might have a risk of forced labor or child labor, and how they are fixing any problems.
The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness will keep a public electronic record of these reports on their website. The Minister will also give a yearly report to Parliament summarizing what the government groups and companies are doing to lower the risk of forced labor and child labor. The Act also changes the Customs Tariff to stop goods made with forced labor or child labor from coming into Canada.
People who do not follow the rules, like not reporting or giving false information, could be fined up to $250,000. The Act will be checked by a committee after five years to see if any changes are needed.
Crime
This bill creates new offences related to forced labour and child labour. It states that any person or entity that fails to comply with reporting requirements, obstructs a designated person, or provides false information is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $250,000.