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OTTAWA — Canadian firms are finding reasons to be concerned after a private member’s bill forced them to go looking for forced labour in their supply chains and release the results publicly.

In Spring 2023, Liberal MP John McKay’s private member’s bill, the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, passed through the House of Commons. The bill requires companies over a certain size to report publicly on where they believe there is a risk of forced labour in their supply chains and what they are doing about it.

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Companies across the country have started filing those statements and acknowledging there are risks they need to better investigate.

Grocery giant Loblaws has already filed their report on the issue. While their statement makes it clear they have not found any specific examples of forced labour, the company acknowledged it needs to keep looking.

The company is launching what it believes is a first of its kind study of broccoli and cauliflower farms in North America to see if there are issues.

“This work will provide the enterprise with valuable insights, including a deep understanding of potential human rights impacts and their underlying causes, improved supply chain visibility, and recommended actions to address and remediate any potential negative impacts,” reads the company’s report.

Loblaws isn’t the only grocer that has recognized it may have an issue. Empire, which owns the Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo,...

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