Bill C-35 No Importing Forced Labour Goods
C-35 An Act Respecting the Prohibition of the Importation of Goods Produced by Forced Labour
Short Title: Ban on Importing Goods Made with Forced Labour Act
Bill Type: House Government Bill
Bill Sponsor: Minister of Foreign Affairs
Status: Introduced — 1st Reading, June 12, 2026. This Bill has not passed yet.
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What is this Bill For?
Bill C-35 bans the importation of goods made with forced labour into Canada. It gives the Minister of Foreign Affairs the power to create a list of goods suspected of being made with forced labour. Importers of listed goods must prove their supply chain is clean when asked — or their goods are automatically treated as prohibited. It also removes forced labor provisions from the existing Customs Tariff and replaces them with this standalone Law.
WHO GAINS POWER
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs gains the authority to create and update a list of goods suspected of being made with forced labour — by regulation, with no Parliamentary vote required each time the list changes
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers gain the power to detain goods for up to 90 days (or longer by regulation) while investigating forced labour claims
- The Governor in Council gains broad regulation-making authority over how the Law is administered and enforced
- ⚠️ List changes by regulation — The Minister can add or remove goods from the forced labour list without a vote in Parliament. The list can shift based on diplomatic or trade pressures with no public debate required.
- ⚠️ Detention period expandable by regulation — The 90-day detention window can be extended by regulation, meaning the ceiling on how long goods can be held is not fixed in the Bill itself.
WHO LOSES POWER
- Importers lose the right to appeal or seek re-determination under the Customs Act if CBSA determines their goods were made with forced labour — judicial review under the Federal Courts Act is the only recourse
- Existing appeals and re-determinations under the old tariff item (No. 9897.00.00) are cut off at Royal Assent for any case where no decision has been issued yet
- ⚠️ No internal appeal route — Once CBSA makes a determination, importers cannot use the normal Customs Act appeal process. They must go to Federal Court, which is slower and more expensive.
- ⚠️ Retroactive cutoff on existing cases — Any importer with a forced labour determination already in progress loses their Customs Act appeal rights the moment this Bill receives Royal Assent — even if they were mid-process and had no warning. Federal Court is the only door left open.
WHO GAINS MONEY
- The Federal Government recovers detention, storage, transportation and disposal costs from importers and owners of prohibited goods — jointly and severally liable, meaning either party can be pursued for the full amount
WHO LOSES MONEY
- Importers and owners of goods found to be made with forced labour are on the hook for all Government costs related to detaining, storing, moving or disposing of those goods
- Businesses importing goods from regions or producers on the Minister's list face compliance costs — documentation, supply chain audits and potential delays at the border
THE CATCH
- The Bill replaces the forced labour provisions in the Customs Tariff but the new list-based system doesn't come into force until the Governor in Council issues an order — Sections 8 and 9 (the information-disclosure and deemed-prohibition rules) have no fixed start date
- ⚠️ Retroactive cutoff on existing cases — Any forced labour determination made before Royal Assent that hasn't received a decision yet is immediately stripped of its appeal rights. Affected importers lose their place in the existing process the moment this Bill becomes Law.
- The Bill applies to the Crown — His Majesty in right of Canada or a Province is bound by the prohibition, which is notable but enforcement against the Crown is untested territory