Government of Canada commits to measures towards ending child and forced labour in corporate supply chains
The Government of Canada announced on Friday that it would initiate consultations on corporate supply chain legislation this year. The statement is a positive step towards requiring Canadian companies to take action and report on their efforts to address child labour, modern slavery, and other human rights violations, according to a coalition of Canadian organizations including World Vision, Fairtrade Canada, UNICEF Canada and Save the Children. The Government of Canada stated in the House of Commons that it will: "begin a process in 2019 to consult on possible supply chain legislation," adding Canada to a growing list of countries taking action to address this issue. The statement is an official response to an October 2018 parliamentary report, A call to action: ending the use of all forms of child labour in supply chains which received cross-party support. The Government of Canada statement added that it has: "fully reviewed the findings of the committee's report and will aim to achieve the goals it has identified".
... [According to Julie Francoeur, Executive Director of Fairtrade Canada], "Canada can show leadership by joining the growing list of other countries, including France, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Germany that have either passed or are considering supply chain legislation."