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Status

• Bill C-35 was introduced at first reading on June 12, 2026. It is not yet law.

Definitions and prohibition

• The bill prohibits importing goods produced wholly or partly by forced labour. “Produced” includes grown, assembled, manufactured and mined.
• It adopts the definition of forced or compulsory labour in Article 2 of the International Labour Organization’s Forced Labour Convention, 1930.
• The bill applies broadly to importers and binds the federal and provincial Crowns.

Administration and enforcement

• A designated customs officer could determine whether imported goods were produced wholly or partly by forced labour. For that purpose, an officer could detain goods for up to 90 days, or longer if regulations prescribe a longer period.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs could establish by regulation a list of goods reasonably suspected of being produced wholly or partly by forced labour. The list must specify the producer, the country or region of production, or both.
• Importers of listed goods would have to provide prescribed information to the Canada Border Services Agency when a customs officer requests it. If they do not, the goods would be deemed prohibited.
• The bill permits specified ministers and agency personnel to share information to help establish the list. Regulations could govern disclosure and the time and manner for providing importer information.
• An importer who imports prohibited goods and the owner at importation would both be liable for federal detention, storage, transportation and disposal costs.
• The Customs Act would generally apply to enforcement, but actions under the new Act would not be subject to Customs Act appeals or reviews. Judicial review under the Federal Courts Act would remain available.

Transitional provisions

• For specified forced- or child-labour tariff determinations made before royal assent, the bill would end certain Customs Act appeal and review routes and void requests on which no decision had been made by that date.
• Judicial review would remain available for the determinations and decisions covered by those restrictions. Certain determinations or decisions communicated within 90 days before royal assent would be deemed communicated on the royal-assent date.
• Appeals for which notice was filed before royal assent would continue under the specified existing Customs Act provisions and tariff description.

Customs Tariff changes

• The bill repeals a Customs Tariff provision and removes the tariff-item description referring to goods made wholly or partly with forced or child labour, as defined in the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act.

Coming into force

• The listed-goods information requirement and the rule deeming goods prohibited for non-compliance would come into force on a day or days set by order of the Governor in Council.