Ottawa set to table forced-labour imports bill amid Trump tariff threat

Canada is moving to strengthen its forced-labour enforcement ahead of potential U.S. tariffs, with the federal government tabling legislation Friday designed to crack down on products made through slavery.

The move comes after the Trump administration threatened a 10 percent tariff on Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, claiming they aren't doing enough to enforce domestic bans on forced labour. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's office made the tariff recommendation, though the Trump administration must conduct further public consultations before imposing it.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister overseeing Canada-U.S. trade, said Thursday that Canada is addressing "long-standing concerns" Washington has raised about "non-tariff barriers."

Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged Thursday that Canada has "a very strong framework and standards and responsibilities" but has been "less effective in fully enforcing those." He attributed some of the enforcement gap to how responsibilities are structured legally and to resource constraints.

Carney also announced Thursday that his government is eliminating the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), a watchdog position introduced under Justin Trudeau's government to investigate human rights violations by Canadian companies abroad, including forced labour. Carney said the office hasn't been effective—though Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in March the position "remains important."

According to data cited by the White House, Canada Border Services Agency has intercepted only 50 shipments on suspicion of forced labour since 2020, with just two found to have been produced using forced labour—a 2024 textile shipment and a 2025 shipment of frozen seafood.

Canada changed its customs law wording in 2020 to prohibit imports of goods "mined, manufactured or produced wholly or in part by forced labour," aligning with continental trade rules.