C-251 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Customs Tariff (forced labour and child labour)
Chamber
commons
Stage
1st Reading
Introduced
Oct 21, 2025
Progress
This bill bans imports from countries or companies suspected of using forced or child labour, unless importers can prove otherwise.
Key Changes
- Creates a legal presumption that goods from designated countries or listed companies were made using forced or child labour
- Requires customs officers to detain goods from designated sources until cleared
- Gives Cabinet the power to designate countries or areas as 'subjects of concern' for forced or child labour
- Gives Cabinet the power to list specific companies believed to use forced or child labour
- Places the burden of proof on importers to demonstrate their goods are free from forced or child labour through supply chain monitoring, certification, and due diligence
- Requires a mandatory five-year review of whether listed companies should remain on the list
Gotchas
- The presumption of forced labour is rebuttable, meaning importers can clear their goods, but the process requires prescribed certifications and supply chain documentation that have yet to be fully defined in regulation
- The specific regulations governing what supply chain monitoring, certifications, and due diligence are required have not yet been established — they will be set by the Governor in Council later, leaving key details undefined at this stage
- Designating entire countries or areas (rather than just specific companies) could affect a very broad range of goods and importers, including those with no connection to forced labour
- The five-year review requirement for listed entities provides a check on the list, but entities remain listed by default unless actively removed
- The bill relies on definitions from the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and the Special Economic Measures Act, linking it to those existing legal frameworks
Who's Affected
- Canadian importers sourcing goods from countries or companies flagged for forced or child labour
- Customs officers who must detain and assess flagged goods
- Foreign manufacturers and exporters in designated countries or on the entity list
- Canadian businesses with global supply chains
- Consumers who may see price or availability changes for certain imported goods
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The presumption of forced labour is rebuttable, meaning importers can clear their goods, but the process requires prescribed certifications and supply chain documentation that have yet to be fully defined in regulation
- The specific regulations governing what supply chain monitoring, certifications, and due diligence are required have not yet been established — they will be set by the Governor in Council later, leaving key details undefined at this stage
- Designating entire countries or areas (rather than just specific companies) could affect a very broad range of goods and importers, including those with no connection to forced labour
- The five-year review requirement for listed entities provides a check on the list, but entities remain listed by default unless actively removed
- The bill relies on definitions from the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and the Special Economic Measures Act, linking it to those existing legal frameworks
Summary
Bill C-251 changes Canada's customs rules to block goods made using forced labour or child labour. It creates a legal presumption that goods from certain countries or companies are produced this way, meaning the burden falls on importers to prove their goods are clean — not on the government to prove they aren't. The bill gives the Governor in Council (Cabinet) the power to designate specific countries or areas as 'subjects of concern' and to list specific companies believed to use forced or child labour. Goods from these designated places or entities would automatically be treated as prohibited imports under existing tariff rules, unless the importer can demonstrate through supply chain monitoring, certification, and due diligence that their goods are free from forced or child labour. Customs officers would be required to detain goods from these designated sources until they are satisfied the goods are not prohibited. The bill was introduced as a private member's bill and builds on Canada's existing Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, extending its reach into the customs and tariff system.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses