Canada introduced Bill C-35 on Friday, aiming to tighten the ban on products made with forced labour by requiring importers to demonstrate compliance for goods from high‑risk regions. The proposal follows recent US threats of tariffs on countries, including Canada, that fail to curb slavery‑linked supply chains.

Bill C-35’s public list of high‑risk products and regions

The legislation would compel the government to publish a list of specific goods and the regions where forced‑labour concerns are most acute, based on intelligence from embassies and other authorities. Importers whose products appear on that list must provide documentary evidence that their supply chains are free of slavery, shifting the burden of proof from regulators to businesses.

Alignment with Mexico and the European Union’s due‑diligence rules

According to the source, Bill C-35 is designed to bring Canada in line with Mexico’s existing forced‑labour rules and the European Union’s forthcoming due‑diligence legislation . Both jurisdictions already require importers to certify that their goods are not tainted by forced labour, a model Ottawa hopes to replicate.

U.S. tariff pressure and the CUSMA backdrop

The United States Trade Representative’s office recently suggested a 10 % tariff on imports from countries deemed to have forced‑labour supply chains, though the measure would not apply to goods covered by the Canada‑U.S.–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Ottawa updated its customs law in 2020 to match CUSMA standards, but the CBSA has only detained 50 shipments since then, a figure critics say is far too low.

Critics warn enforcement could remain weak

Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett and several advocacy groups have questioned whether Bill C-35 will overcome the enforcement gaps that have plagued Canada’s existing framework. As the source notes, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government previously claimed the old system was already weeding out slave‑made products,a claim now challenged by the new legislation’s opponents.

Unanswered question: Will Ottawa allocate resources for effective enforcement?

The source highlights that the Canada Border Services Agency has not published detailed enforcement data, and the bill does not specify additional funding for inspections. without clear resource commitments, the shift of proof to importers may not translate into real‑world compliance.