In 2020, under the terms of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), the three countries agreed to implement measures to ban the importation of goods produced with forced labour. Since then, all three countries have passed laws and taken actions to uphold those obligations. The United States passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and has exponentially increased the number of shipments detained at the border for forced labour concerns. Canada implemented a forced labour ban and just passed S-211, which requires supply chain due diligence reporting. Mexico also recently passed a resolution to ban the importation of goods produced with forced labour effective May 18, 2023.
Importers that do business in North America will need to ensure that they are aware of and comply with the applicable forced labour and supply chain due diligence requirements in these countries. In this webinar, Jessica Horwitz of Bennett Jones, Eduardo Sotelo Cauduro of Sanchez Devanny, and Angela Santos of ArentFox Schiff discussed the requirements in the USMCA region and best practices for a practical and effective supply chain diligence and compliance program.
