FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – New IHRP Report Exposes U.S. Prison Labour Hidden in Canadian Supply Chains

IHRP's Report Launch Event - September 25, 2025 | Pictured left to right: Lola Bigioni, Iryn McMechan, Julia Alvi,
Alysha Mohamed (IHRP clinic students); Ronald McKeithen and Terrance Winn (on screen) 

TORONTO, ON – Goods produced using U.S. prison labour are likely ending up in Canadian markets, slipping past import bans and into Canadian supply chains, according to a new report from the University of Toronto’s International Human Rights Program (IHRP).  

The IHRP’s latest report, Exports & Exploitation: U.S. Prison Labour Hidden in Canadian Supply Chains, documents how a wide range of goods and materials produced by incarcerated workers in the U.S.—including auto parts, food products, party supplies, and even pet food—may be illegally and possibly on a large scale entering Canadian markets, despite a national ban on forced labour and prison labour imports. In some cases, the companies that are using incarcerated labour are themselves Canadian.   

“This report pulls back the curtain on potentially illegal imports”, said Sandra Wisner, IHRP Director. It’s time for government and business to confront a hard truth: our economy must not profit from modern slavery or racial injustice. This is also an opportunity to lead—to build a Canadian economy rooted in human rights, not exploitation.” 

Canada currently bans the import of goods made using forced or prison labour and has been under U.S. pressure to enforce these bans to block goods linked to forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region. Yet, a glaring blind spot remains; prison labour within the U.S. itself. Products tainted by exploitative labour practices are making their way across the border in a process that appears to be largely unchecked.  

The U.S. today incarcerates more people than any other country in the world—a grossly disproportionate number of whom are Black. Many are required to work, often under conditions of coercion and the absence of any worker protections. In some instances, they even farm crops on the same former plantations where enslaved workers once toiled. These products then enter the channels of commerce and, given Canada’s uniquely close trade relationship with the U.S., find their way to the Canadian economy.  

"Canadians should not have to worry that the food they eat or the cars they drive are linked to prison labour,” said Nabila Khan, IHRP Research Associate, “The Canadian Border Services Agency must proactively investigate and block imports linked to forced or prison labour—especially from high-risk regions and manufacturers. At the same time, companies must step up with serious human rights due diligence to root out exploitation across their entire supply chains.” 

The IHRP’s latest report adds to growing global concern about the rise of modern slavery in international trade and the urgent need for governments and businesses to ensure that supply chains align with international human rights standards.    

Read the full report here. 

Watch report launch event here. 

About the International Human Rights Program 

The International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of Toronto Henry N. R. Jackman Faculty of Law serves as the centre for international human rights work, through which experienced lawyers, Faculty, and law students engage in meaningful social change. Read more about our mandate, staff and projects. The IHRP pursues change in the following areas: corporate accountability, climate justice, and Indigenous rights.  

The IHRP is directed by Sandra Wisner. Nabila Khan is Research Associate and Estefanía Rueda Torres is Program Coordinator.  

For more information about our work, please visit the IHRP website at https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/.   

Contact Information: 

Sandra Wisner, IHRP Director 
sandra.wisner@utoronto.ca 

Nabila Khan, Research Associate 
nabila.khan@utoronto.ca