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.