FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – IHRP Submits Evidence of US Prison Labour in Canadian Supply Chains to CBSA

TORONTO, ON – Today, the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of Toronto’s Jackman Law submitted a communication to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) alleging that goods imported from Alabama are at high risk of violating Canada’s ban on forced labour and prison labour imports. The complaint is endorsed by several leading Canadian and U.S. civil society organizations in the field, including the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability (CNCA), Corporate Accountability Lab, Jobs to Move America, and Above Ground.

Building on its investigative report, Exports & Exploitation: U.S. Prison Labour Hidden in Canadian Supply Chains, the IHRP’s submission alleges that manufacturers and suppliers in Alabama using incarcerated labour through state contracts are likely linked to vehicles and trailers imported and sold in Canada.

“We urge the CBSA to seriously investigate our submission and to eradicate modern slavery from Canadian supply chains” says Sandra Wisner, IHRP Director. Since Canada’s import ban on forced labour came into effect in 2020, 50 shipments have been detained by the CBSA and only one of those was denied entry into Canada.

Not only would these imports violate Canada’s import ban on goods made using prison labour, they may also violate the federal government’s forced labour import ban. Published accounts from incarcerated workers in Alabama suggest that the state’s prison labour system is rooted in coercion and involuntariness. Experiences of physical violence, intimidation and threats, abusive working conditions, and excessive overtime—recognized indicators of forced labour by the International Labour Organization—are well documented.

The U.S. is Canada’s largest trade partner. The two countries’ auto industries are deeply integrated, with complex cross-border supply chains that make Alabama’s $4.3 billion in annual exports to Canada, including $1.9 billion in automobiles, a potential conduit for goods produced with prison labour and forced labour. 

“At a time when the US is investigating countries like Canada for failing to block imports made with forced labour—but still relies on prison labour at home—Canada must take a principled stand by enforcing its forced and prison labour bans consistently and universally, including against US-made goods,” said Nabila Khan, IHRP Research Associate. “With trade tensions rising, there’s no better moment to demonstrate that human rights standards apply to everyone.”

In addition to calling on the CBSA to investigate the submission and enforce the prohibition on goods entering Canada from identified companies, the IHRP requests that the CBSA release a determination that these imports violate Customs Tariff item No. 9897.00.00, and make the importation of future goods conditional on robust human rights due diligence policies. These policies should identify and eliminate forced and prison labour from the entirety of company supply chains, including mandatory public reporting and investigation of findings of forced and prison labour.

This complaint comes as parliamentarians from all major parties meet this week through the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery to advance solutions to forced labour. Composed of members from the Liberal, Conservative, Bloc Québécois, and NDP parties as well as the Independent Senators Group, the group was launched to improve policy and legislation and promote long-term approaches to the prevention of modern slavery.

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Contact:

Sandra Wisner, sandra.wisner@utoronto.ca 

Director, International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto Jackman Law

Nabila Khan, nabila.khan@utoronto.ca

Research Associate, International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto Jackman Law

The International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of Toronto Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law serves as a centre for international human rights work, through which experienced lawyers, faculty, and law students engage in meaningful social change.