Child labour implicated in Canadian imports

CANADIAN CONNECTIONS TO child and forced labour continue to worsen, creating urgency for government action, according to a new report by aid agency World Vision Canada.

The Supply Chain Risk Report 2023 reveals that the value of Canadian imports of everyday products, like electronics and clothing, that are at risk of being produced by child or forced labour, has increased to $48 billion as of 2021.

The report shows a surge in imports of risky goods of over 50 percent in the last 10 years, including a 71 percent increase in electronics to $22.1 billion, a 67 percent increase in clothing to $10.7 billion, and more than 869 percent increase in imports of protective rubber gloves to more than $800 million in 2021.

World Vision Canada warns the problem is worsening due to climate change, conflict, Covid-19 and rising costs, leading to conditions that mean the number of child labourers has increased for the first time in two decades. Now, 160 million boys and girls are trapped in child labour, including 79 million who work in jobs that are dirty, dangerous and degrading.

“Progress in the global fight to end child labour is being lost. Clearly, we need leadership from the federal government to ensure that companies are doing everything they can to both support Canadians who wish to make informed purchasing choices, and to reverse these trends in their global supply chains,” said Michael Messenger, president and CEO of World Vision Canada. of global logistics executives say they are bracing for recession amid higher costs, slowing demand, and ongoing supply chain disruption arising from China’s battle to contain Covid, Russia’s surveyed for the 2023 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index also say their shipping, storage and other logistics costs remain well above pre-pan-

The report urges parliamentarians to pass Bill S-211, the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, which is slated for its third reading in the House of Commons in March. If passed, this bill would require companies to publicly report on their efforts to prevent the use of forced labour and child labour within their global supply chains.

“Carriers and shippers are feeling the effects of higher energy prices, tight labour markets and broader inflation even though freight rates have fallen and ports have cleared cargo backlogs,” said Agility vice-chair-

“Three years after the start of the pandemic, there is still a lot of volatility in supply chains. Now there’s fresh uncertainty as consumers and

Almost all respondents (97 percent) indicate that their businesses have been hurt by higher costs or other supply chain challenges as a result of the Russia–Ukraine conflict. There is an even split between companies planning to reduce their reliance on Chinese sourcing and those planning to expand in China. But only 11 percent of respondents say their company’s