In the weeks ahead, the Senate will be turning its attention to
Bill S-216. The Bill, if passed, will enact Canada's first
modern slavery disclosure legislation.
The proposed Modern Slavery Act would require mandatory modern
slavery disclosure by companies subject to the Act, as well as an
amendment to the Customs Tariff to prohibit the importation of
goods produced using forced labour (which is already prohibited)
and goods made by children.
Bill S-216 is essentially an update of Bill S-211, introduced by
Senator Miville-Dechêne in the previous legislative session,
and which itself followed a virtually identical Private Members
Bill (Bill C-423), which was introduced into the House of Commons
by Liberal MP John McKay in December 2018. Bill S-211 was in Second
Reading when it died on the Order Paper when Parliament was
prorogued in August 2020.
