"Canada introduces stronger forced labour import ban as focus shifts to enforcement", 17 June 2026

Canada has taken a significant step towards preventing goods made with forced labour from entering its market, introducing a new draft law to strengthen its import ban and make it harder for products linked to worker exploitation to reach Canadian consumers.

The proposed legislation would replace the current prohibition under the Customs Tariff with a standalone legislative framework...

Government representatives have said the proposed reforms are the next step in strengthening Canada’s existing forced labour import ban rather than a response to the latest United States tariff threats.

The proposed legislation introduces several significant reforms, including:

• giving the Minister of Foreign Affairs authority to identify high-risk goods by region, entity, or individual where there are reasonable grounds to suspect the use of forced labour;
• requiring importers of high-risk goods to provide enhanced supply chain tracing information to customs authorities;
• prohibiting goods from entering Canada when importers fail to provide the required information; and
• improving information sharing between government agencies and introducing a cost-recovery model for businesses found to have imported goods produced with forced labour.

Canada already prohibits the import of goods made with forced labour, but enforcement has been a challenge...

The Canadian government will hold public consultations on the proposed legislation over the coming months, inviting businesses, civil society, and people with lived experience to help shape the final framework.