Canada imported $63.3 billion in goods linked to child and forced labour risk in 2025

World Vision Canada report finds more than $170 million a day in at-risk imports as Canada pursues new trade relationships.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 30, 2026 /CNW/ — As Canada actively moves to diversify its trade relationships and build a more resilient economy, World Vision Canada says new trade opportunities must be matched by stronger safeguards against child and forced labour in global supply chains.

Canada imported an estimated $63.3 billion in goods associated with documented child labour or forced labour risks in 2025, according to a new World Vision Canada report. That is more than $170 million a day and about eight per cent of the value of all merchandise entering the country.

Canada’s Risky Imports report cross-references Canadian import data with goods and countries identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as having evidence of child labour or forced labour in production. The analysis identifies where known risks overlap with Canadian trade; they do not mean that a particular shipment or product was made using child or forced labour.

Electronics accounted for the largest share of at-risk imports at $22.2 billion, followed by clothing and textiles at $15.3 billion and gold at $7.8 billion. The total value of at-risk imports was 6.2 per cent higher than in 2022.

“As Canada looks to new markets and trading relationships, we should be clear about the kind of prosperity we want to build. Our prosperity should never cost a child their childhood or a worker their freedom” said Allison Alley, President and CEO, World Vision Canada. “Trade can create opportunity and strengthen communities, but only if we pay attention to the people behind the products we buy. Canada has an opportunity to build supply chains that protect children, uphold the dignity of work and help communities thrive.”

Coffee brings the supply-chain risk close to home

Coffee provides a familiar example. Canada imported almost $2.0 billion in coffee from countries flagged for child labour or forced labour risk in the source data, a 58.9 per cent increase from 2022. Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala and Honduras accounted for about 85 per cent of that value.

Imports from Honduras alone reached $176 million in 2025. Children working in coffee production can face long hours, heavy loads, exposure to pesticides and extreme heat, as well as disruption to their schooling.

World Vision’s Cultivating Futures program in Honduras provides supervised care and learning for children during the coffee harvest, when school holidays and parents’ seasonal work can increase children’s vulnerability to child labour. Between 2017 and 2023, program records show that 1,750 children benefited and more than 540,000 hours of child labour were reduced through the care centres.

“Canada has an opportunity to build a world-class responsible trade strategy. That means strong enforcement at the border, clear legislative expectations for business, and investment in preventing exploitation in the first place. The measure of success isn’t how many shipments we stop. It’s how many children are in school instead of at work,” said Martin Fischer, Head of Policy and Government Relations, World Vision Canada.

Stronger safeguards as Canada expands trade

World Vision Canada is calling for Canada’s approach to responsible trade to combine import enforcement with clearer expectations that companies identify, prevent, address and report on human rights risks in their supply chains. The organization is also calling for sustained support for locally led prevention and remediation in producing communities.

Bill C-35, the proposed Ban on Importing Goods Made with Forced Labour Act, is currently at second reading in the House of Commons. If adopted, it would create a standalone forced-labour import regime.

World Vision Canada says implementation of any import ban should be transparent, evidence-based and designed to protect workers and children from unintended harm. Its Risky Imports report also calls for improvements to Canada’s supply-chain reporting framework, targeted human rights due diligence measures and greater investment in prevention. 

About World Vision Canada

World Vision Canada is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Inspired by our Christian values, World Vision is dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

SOURCE World Vision Canada