Recent class actions have claimed that companies have violated California consumer fraud and unfair competition laws resulting from alleged forced labor in their global supply chains.
Non-Canadian workers are increasingly suing their employers in Canadian courts for human rights violations allegedly committed outside Canada by the companies themselves or by other entities in their supply chains.
The United Nations' adoption in 2011 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights signified a growing consensus that corporate entities have a responsibility to account for their operations' impact on human rights.
New legislation would require that publicly traded companies more broadly and specifically disclose their policies and efforts aimed at ridding their supply chains of slavery and human trafficking.
