Our firm has recently written on Canada’s forced labour laws here and here. In a further update to Canada’s legislative regime designed to combat forced labour, Bill C-35 was introduced on June 12, 2026, with the aim of prohibiting the importation of goods produced by forced labour (the “Bill C-35”).
In this report, we review the political background that gave rise to this draft forced labour legislation and outline its contents.
In 2024, the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (the “FALC”) came into force, which imposed annual reporting obligations for certain entities. While the 2024 reports were due last year, this is a recurring obligation with significant penalties for non-compliance.
Recently, the Canadian government issued its Report to Parliament summarizing the submissions received for the 2024 reporting cycle. This Report serves as a reminder of the ongoing importance of timely compliance with the reporting obligations, with the next reporting deadline on May 31, 2025.
Are you a U.S. based business distributing goods in Canada?
If you have over $20 M in assets or $40 M in revenues, you are likely caught by Canada’s new “child and forced labour” rules and need to deal with this or risk $250,000 in fines!
