Canada has been slow to adopt supply chain legislation compared to other countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A new piece of legislation, Bill S-211, aims to bring Canada in line with global regulatory trends. The bill is slated to become law on Jan. 1, 2024.

Once the bill comes into effect, Canadian companies and government institutions will be required to submit an annual report about how they are addressing modern slavery in their supply chains.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Kam Phung and Genevieve LeBaron from Simon Fraser University write about the importance of Bill S-211, known colloquially as the Modern Slavery Act. The bill will ensure businesses that ignored modern slavery in the past are now obligated to address it.

Although the new bill is a step in the right direction, Phung and LeBaron write, the current legislation still has pitfalls. Issues like the limited effectiveness of current transparency laws, flawed auditing tools and harmful business practices still need to be addressed for modern slavery to be effectively dealt with.

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