International Trade

The House of Commons International Trade Committee met to study forced labour and human rights violations in Canadian supply chains, hearing from Stuart Trew of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Elizabeth Kwan of the Canadian Labour Congress, Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, and Sherap Therchin of the Canada Tibet Committee.

Stuart Trew strongly supported Bill C-251, arguing it is essential to provide the Canada Border Services Agency with clear guidance to screen and detain imports made with forced labour, noting that Canada has intercepted only 50 shipments since 2021 compared to over 7,000 in the U.S. He called for a comprehensive corporate due diligence regime covering all human rights, not just forced labour, and urged coordination with the U.S. and Mexico under CUSMA, highlighting that forced labour also occurs in North America, including through U.S. prison labour and Canada's temporary foreign worker program.

Elizabeth Kwan recommended immediate legislation to strengthen Canada's import ban, including increased obligations on importers and robust oversight, alongside a new mandatory supply chain due diligence regime. She emphasized that Canada's current ban under the Customs Tariff has been weak, with only one shipment denied entry, and that this discrepancy with U.S. enforcement has provoked American criticism, making action urgent ahead of the 2026 CUSMA renegotiation. She supported Bill C-251 and a reverse onus model placing responsibility on importers, arguing that the existing transparency law under Bill S-211 has not resulted in any additional shipments being stopped.

Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood stressed that any legislation must centre the needs of impacted workers and communities, warning that import bans could lead companies to cut and run without safety nets for affected workers. He called for empowering the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, which has been vacant since May 2025, and for adopting comprehensive mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation to proactively prevent abuses. He noted that his network does not have a collective position on Bill C-251 but that member organizations support it, while emphasizing that due diligence legislation should include a private right of action in Canadian courts for remedy.

Sherap Therchin focused on forced labour risks in Tibet, where China's lithium reserves—essential for electric vehicle batteries—are extracted under conditions involving mass relocation, coercive labour transfer schemes, and environmental destruction. He recommended requiring full supply chain transparency for Chinese EVs and batteries, applying a presumption of non-compliance for untraceable minerals, coordinating with G7 partners, and funding independent monitoring of Tibet. He supported Bill C-251 and stressed that Canada's climate transition strategy must not reward abusive extraction regimes.

During questioning, witnesses agreed that Canada's existing tools, including the import ban and transparency law, have been ineffective due to lack of enforcement and resources, and that Bill C-251 could provide necessary guidance to the CBSA. They cited the EU, France, Germany, and South Korea as models for due diligence legislation, and noted that the 2024 fall economic statement's promises on due diligence and oversight have not been implemented. The committee briefly discussed inviting the minister and CBSA officials to testify, with witnesses supporting that idea.