Hon. Salma Ataullahjan moved the adoption of the report.

She said: Honourable senators, the committee presented its report, which contains three amendments. I am providing you with the effects of these amendments. Bill S-211 will contribute to the fight against forced labour and child labour by imposing reporting obligations on certain private entities and government institutions. Similar supply chain transparency legislation has been adopted in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and Australia.

The transparency approach encourages the adoption of good practices by giving consumers, shareholders and other stakeholders the information that they need to make informed choices. Clauses 6 and 11 of Bill S-211 set out the specific information that must be contained in annual reports. The required information is similar for private entities and government institutions. It includes but is not limited to any information on any relevant policies, due diligence processes, employee training or measures taken to remediate forced and child labour. The committee heard from several witnesses that forced labour and child labour arise from complex socio‑economic issues. Indeed, child labour often occurs where children need to work to help their families survive. While this bill alone cannot solve these complex issues, it is a starting point that seeks to encourage better practices by both private entities and government institutions.

The first two amendments expand upon the requirements already contained in clauses 6 and 11 to provide information on remediation measures. The effect of these amendments will be to require annual reporting by both private entities and government institutions on any measures specifically taken to remediate lost income for the most vulnerable families affected by measures to address forced labour and child labour.

The purpose of these amendments is to encourage companies and government institutions to think about the impacts of their supply chains on vulnerable families and to ideally go beyond merely avoiding use of forced labour and child labour.

By requiring transparency about good practices relating to remediation, stakeholders will have the information necessary to support good actors, and other actors will be encouraged to adopt better practices.

Finally, for private entities subject to this bill, clause 11 requires that each member of the entity’s governing body sign off on each annual report. The committee’s third amendment is simply a technical amendment to remove the requirement that such signatures be completed manually. The effect of this will be to allow electronic signatures, thereby simplifying the reporting processes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the witnesses who testified.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Senator Miville-Dechêne on drafting this bill. This marks the first step toward putting an end to forced labour and child labour in our supply chains. Thank you.