This article provides an overview of the global rise in human and labor rights legislation linked to trade measures. In particular, it examines: Canada’s efforts to enforce the existing import prohibitions on goods mined or manufactured with forced labor under the Customs Tariff; compliance under the recently passed Bill S-211, Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and to amend the Customs Tariff which comes into force on 1 January 2024; and the need for Canadian businesses to develop compliance measures on the import prohibition under the Customs Tariff, the new reporting requirements under Bill S-211, and the importance of continuing enterprise and supply chain scrutiny.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled Sanctions Enforcement Around the G7, The Canadian Perspective on 10 April 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

In June 2023, amendments to the Competition Act take effect that will allow Canadian employees to sue their employers for conspiratorial conduct. In this video, baker McKenzie Litigation and Competition lawyers reflect on the new buy-side conspiracy causes of action through the lens of a recent Federal Court of Appeal case, consider the expected implications of the new amendments on employers’ class action exposure, and discuss what employers can do to mitigate these new risks.

Throughout 2022, there were substantial legislative developments under Canada’s unilateral sanctions regime. New sanctions regulations were implemented or amended in response to the war in Ukraine and in response to conflicts in Haiti, Iran and Myanmar. The framework and application of Canadian sanctions law also underwent changes, including the introduction of a new asset forfeiture regime. Additionally, for the first time, a Canadian court opined on the issue of “control” under the Special Economic Measures Act.