ARTICLE · 14 JUNE 2021

Canadian Modern Slavery Bill Would Cast A Wide Net On Supply Chain Transparency Practices

Stikeman Elliott LLP

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On March 31, 2021, Bill S-216, An Act to enact the Modern Slavery Act and amend the Customs Tariff (the "Bill"), passed its Second Reading in the Senate and was referred to the ...

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On March 31, 2021, Bill S-216, An Act to enact the Modern Slavery Act and amend the Customs Tariff (the "Bill"), passed its Second Reading in the Senate and was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce for further study. Originally introduced in the Senate on October 29, 2020, the Bill is an update of two prior modern slavery bills that were never enacted: Bill S-211, introduced in the Senate in 2020 and Bill C-423, introduced in the House of Commons in 2018.

The Bill has been described as "supply chain transparency legislation", drafted as a tool to both combat modern slavery in the supply chains of Canadian businesses, manifested through forced labour and child labour, as well as support Canada's commitments under the international labour conventions it has ratified. In meeting these goals, the Bill provides two broad objectives:

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