(Ottawa ) Canadian companies will soon be held accountable for the measures they take to counter the use of forced labor or child labor in the manufacture of the products they import.
Posted at 6:56 p.m.
In an extremely rare gesture, the House of Commons unanimously adopted (327-0), on Wednesday, Bill S-211 on the fight against forced labor and child labor in the supply chains of independent senator Julie Miville-Dechêne during the second reading vote.
The bill, which has therefore been supported by Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, the Conservative Party, the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Green Party, will be studied by the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
This bill, which already received Senate approval on April 28, will require certain federal institutions and private sector companies to submit an annual report on the measures they take to “prevent and mitigate the risk that they use or use forced or child labor in their supply chains”.
“I am delighted,” exclaimed Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, who has been leading a crusade since her appointment to the Senate four years ago against forced labor and human trafficking, noting the vote in the Commons. .
This vote by MEPs also comes after the publication of a series of reports in The Press on the difficult working conditions of employees who sacrifice their freedom and their health to manufacture personal protective equipment purchased in large quantities by Canada during the pandemic while the companies that hire them make fortunes.
These reports had shown in particular that Canada is more tolerant than the United States, for example, towards manufacturers of disposable gloves suspected of mistreating their employees. In fact, several companies banned by the American authorities have been able to continue exporting to Canada.
Under Bill S-211, companies that will be subject to the reporting requirement must meet two of the following three criteria: have assets of at least $20 million; have a turnover of at least 40 million dollars; and employ an average of at least 250 employees.
The annual report will have to be approved by the companies’ board of directors or their managers. Those who fail to produce such a report or who provide false information will be exposed to hefty fines of up to $250,000.
The bill will also create an inspection regime applicable to entities and will give the Minister of Labor the power to require an entity to provide him with certain information. Finally, it will amend the Customs Tariff Act to allow for the prohibition of imports of goods manufactured or produced, in whole or in part, by the use of child labour.
Following the Commons vote, Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said the government intends to propose amendments to the bill to strengthen certain provisions.
“We must fight against forced labor in our supply chains. Bill S-211 is an important first step. We voted to send this bill to committee. There we will consider amendments to strengthen it,” the minister’s office said in an email to The Press.
“We will continue to work with parliamentarians, stakeholders and our international partners to pass a law that will be effective against forced labour,” it added.
It is rather rare for a bill first introduced by a senator to end up in the House of Commons in this way. Senator Miville-Dechêne also had to show determination. She introduced her bill three times before it passed the Senate. She wanted to salute the collaboration of Liberal MP John MacKay, who sponsored the bill in the Commons.
In interview at The PressWednesday, the senator argued that her bill represents part of the solution to the scourge of the use of forced labor or child labor.
“I am very aware that this is a first step. This is the first transparency law to be adopted in this way. But it is the result of a collaboration of all parties. […] We were behind other countries. And there we are catching up, ”she argued.
“I believe the combination of several factors — the pandemic, the scandals that have come out, and the Uyghur minorities in China — has created pressure on the federal government,” she said.