Canada moves against imports of goods made with forced labor

As we anticipated in our articles on forced labor, the US investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act into countries that may produce or import goods made with forced labor (Argentina among them) may serve to curb the entry of Chinese imports and is an opportunity to defend the Argentine textile sector. Along the same lines, on June 12, 2026, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand introduced a bill to strengthen that country's previous legislation (2020) prohibiting the import of goods mined, manufactured or produced wholly or in part by forced labor or child labor, which had been established under the obligations undertaken in the USMCA (formerly NAFTA) negotiations.

"Canada will not tolerate products made with forced labor in its markets. This legislation reinforces our commitment to human rights and fair and transparent trade by giving us more effective tools to stop these products at the border and protect the integrity of our supply chains. It also supports vulnerable workers and aligns Canada with global efforts to eradicate forced labor from international trade."

- Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs

This new customs control bill complements the 2024 Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (Supply Chains Act), a transparency law requiring certain entities and federal institutions to report annually on the measures taken to prevent or reduce the risk that forced labor and child labor are used in their supply chains.

This new Canadian proposal is a valuable precedent for Argentina to regulate customs matters regarding the import of products made with forced labor, in line with the trade negotiations it is conducting between Mercosur and Canada and with the US.