Alison Babbitt speaks about the Modern Slavery Act and how companies are working on their reporting obligations

New law on reporting forced-labour sows confusion over who the legislation covers

Canada’s new Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act has many companies looking for assistance in understanding their reporting obligations. These companies have been turning to our Partner and Co-Head of Responsible Business and Sustainability, Alison Babbitt and our team for help with the nuances of this complex legislation. Alison spoke to The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Doolittle about the new law requiring businesses and some government institutions to report on any potential risk of forced labour and child labour in their supply chains. Alison said that some companies determine their exposure by performing risk mapping exercises to look at their supply chains to help determine risks based on geography, commodity type, jurisdiction and industry. She did caution that there are “still people that don’t appreciate that this applies to them, and they’re getting up to speed to figure out whether they’re caught or not.” All companies must produce their reports to the government by May 31. Read the full article for the details.