Bill C-251
Not yet scheduled
An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Customs Tariff (forced labour and child labour)
This bill would amend Canada's customs laws to block imports made using forced labour or child labour, modelled after the U.S. approach used to restrict goods from China's Xinjiang region.
Sponsor · Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay
What it means for you
Goods made by workers who were forced to work or by children could be seized at the border, and companies would have to prove their supply chains are clean rather than the government having to prove wrongdoing.
The debate · 5 points
Supporters say
- Canada currently inspects only a tiny fraction of imported goods — about 2% at major ports — and very few shipments are ever seized or held. A clearer legal framework with a list of high-risk entities would dramatically improve enforcement.
- The U.S. model this bill copies has already seized billions of dollars' worth of goods made under forced labour conditions. Canada should adopt the same standard so it is not a back door for products banned elsewhere.
- Shifting the burden of proof to importers — requiring them to show their supply chains are free of forced labour — would make enforcement more effective and consistent than the current system, where the government must prove wrongdoing.
Critics say
- The debate excerpts do not contain explicit arguments against the bill itself. Most parliamentary discussion focused on the broader Canada-Indonesia trade agreement debate, not Bill C-251 directly.
- stricter import rules could affect Canadian businesses that rely on global supply chains and may complicate trade relationships with partner countries.
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