Manifest-level shipping data is not publicly released in Canada. It is in the U.S., where third-party organizations like NGOs can help investigate and uncover forced labour. tinyurl.com/25bujdem

"... even the reduced U.S. enforcement represents more significant action than in Canada." tinyurl.com/3nbvj75s

Read a letter by the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project to 🇨🇦's prime minister, with recommendations for improving Canada's import ban on goods made by forced labour: static1.squarespace.com/static/62ea9... @mmccuaig-johnston.bsky.social @sarahtteich.bsky.social

"Human-rights advocates are...calling on the government to adopt a legal presumption that would treat all products from China’s Xinjiang region as tainted by forced labour unless importers can prove otherwise." tinyurl.com/4dkvy869 @mmccuaig-johnston.bsky.social @stevenchase.bsky.social

At 4:45, CBC's World Report covers Quebec-based company GardaWorld’s ~$1B contract to operate a new ICE detention centre in Arizona. The segment includes comments from Above Ground's director, Karen Hamilton. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Above Ground's director, Karen Hamilton, calls for both GardaWorld and the Quebec government to be held to account. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social

Despite recent comments from the Canadian government to the contrary, Canada is not effectively enforcing its ban on goods made with forced labour. This should be corrected in the interest of protecting human rights and labour rights worldwide. tinyurl.com/2ubcmm27

The PM says Canada takes forced labour "incredibly seriously" yet: 🇨🇦 doesn't enforce its forced labour import ban 🇨🇦 doesn't enforce its forced labour reporting obligation on companies 🇨🇦 has left the post of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise vacant for a year tinyurl.com/nhb9u569

The prime minister says Canada has strong measures to stop goods made with forced labour from entering the country, yet the Canada Border Services Agency has blocked only two such shipments since 2021? www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art... @mark-carney.bsky.social @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social

This is the first we've heard, since the review of the CORE began in 2024, that the government is planning on keeping the office. While this is positive, we need action promptly for a functioning and effective office.

"Georgina Alonso with Above Ground, a human-rights and corporate-accountability project, said without an ombudsperson, CORE is hampered from moving forward on new complaints about companies."

The UN Human Rights Committee "underscores its concern about allegations of human rights abuses and environmental harm linked to companies domiciled in Canada or operating under its jurisdiction". UNHRC recommends Canada empower the CORE & adopt a due diligence law. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

As Above Ground's senior research and advocacy officer Georgina Alonso explains, Canada's lack of enforcement of our forced labour import ban may put it at risk of US penalties. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

"World-class legislation followed by less-than-world-class implementation risks becoming an exercise in hypocrisy," write the former Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) and the co-sponsor of Canada's forced labour reporting law: www.hilltimes.com/2026/03/12/t...

Canada has left the position of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise vacant since May 2025, and has failed to give the office long-promised teeth. This important new report from Lital Khaikin @rabble.ca looks at the harm caused by Canada's failure to act. rabble.ca/politics/can...

"An EDC spokesperson told The Globe and Mail in 2018 that the agency was reviewing the Transnet loan, but it did not disclose the fate of the loan until now." Above Ground wrote about the situation in 2018 here: aboveground.ngo/bombardier-g...

Le gouvernement fédéral propose d’accorder à ces ministres le pouvoir d’exempter les entreprises des lois canadiennes. Le RCRCE se joint à plus de 100 organisations et expert·es pour exhorter les député·es à retirer ces pouvoirs d’exemption dangereux et antidémocratiques. cqde.org/news/cqde-re...

"[T]he government is giving itself the sweeping power to sideline almost all federal laws and regulations, including the Canada Labour Code, our two federal privacy laws, the Hazardous Products Act and the Explosives Act," writes @genevievepaul.bsky.social and Anaïs Bussières McNicoll.

Read our open letter on C-15 « The omnibus budget bill gives unprecedented power to federal ministers to exempt virtually any entity from all federal laws and regulations—except the Criminal Code. » #polcan #C15 www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/0...

"Canada’s current arms-export system contains a loophole so large that it undermines the very values we claim to uphold", note Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock. "Unmonitored arms flows have fuelled some of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises." www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

"'We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,' according to the document from Meta’s Reality Labs". www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

Et si le gouvernement pouvait décider quand la loi s’applique… et à qui? Vous trouvez cela inquiétant? Nous vous proposons d’écrire au gouvernement, ainsi qu'à votre député-e fédéral-e pour exiger le retrait immédiat des dispositions problématiques du projet de loi C-15. #C15 #polcan

“Karen Hamilton, director of the human rights watchdog Above Ground, said Canadian companies should cease doing business with ICE, which she said has displayed ‘obvious signs of human rights abuses.’ ” @thestar.com www.thestar.com/business/mor...

Over a dozen Canadian companies have done business with ICE amid ongoing reports of serious human rights abuse, reports @thestar.com's Estella Ren. Gaps in Canadian law enable abuses like this and make it very difficult to hold our companies accountable. www.thestar.com/business/mor...

As a precondition to ANY free trade agreement with the U.A.E., Canada must insist that the country withdraw all material or diplomatic support to the RSF, a paramilitary group that stands accused of genocide and war crimes in Sudan. Read our open letter: interpares.short.gy/uae-sudan-war

Tomorrow! Note that Nicole Uher, deputy director, will replace Andrew Ghattas from the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

C'est demain ! Veuillez noter que Nicole Uher, directrice adjointe, remplacera Andrew Ghattas du Centre d'excellence sur les minéraux critiques. us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

« L'argent qui a été investi dans GardaWorld vient des taxes des Québécois, reprend Karen Hamilton [directrice de Above Ground]. Est-ce qu’on veut investir cet argent dans des entreprises liées à des violations de droits humains ? » ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/222...

This is deeply concerning.

"Hootsuite has discussed monitoring conversations and sentiment on social media related to the agencies, including talk of ICE enforcement actions in specific cities and public perception of the CBP commissioner..." @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Thanks to Northern Ontario Business for covering our event with @miningwatch.bsky.social featuring Indigenous leaders speaking to the urgent need to protect the land, waters, and Indigenous ways of life amid the global critical minerals rush. A recording will be on our website later this week.

« Nous savons qu’il y a des violations en Chine et qu’il y a des produits importés au Canada qui proviennent de travail forcé. Alors, sans les garde-fous appropriés, il y aura un virage dans nos engagements envers les droits humain », dit Above Ground. tinyurl.com/y4z5zrt2

« Il ne suffit évidemment pas d’exiger des entreprises qu’elles nous disent : En passant, il se peut que votre chandail ait été fabriqué par un esclave. » Chronique de @rimaelkouri.bsky.social @lapresse.ca www.lapresse.ca/actualites/c...

« Pour prendre le problème à bras-le-corps ... il ne suffit évidemment pas d’exiger des entreprises qu’elles nous disent : En passant, il se peut que votre chandail ait été fabriqué par un esclave. » @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social www.lapresse.ca/actualites/c...

We are excited to hear and learn from the speakers in our webinar "Indigenous perspectives on the global critical minerals rush" on Tuesday January 13 at 10 AM ET! Registration 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Únase a nosotros en nuestro próximo seminario web «Perspectivas indígenas sobre la fiebre mundial por los minerales críticos» el martes 13 de enero a las 10:00 a. m. (hora del este). Se ofrecerá interpretación en español, francés e inglés. Inscripción 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Nous avons hâte d'écouter et d'apprendre des panélistes de notre webinaire « Perspectives autochtones sur la ruée mondiale vers les minéraux critiques », qui aura lieu le mardi 13 janvier à 10 h (heure de l'Est) ! Inscription 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Únase a nosotros en nuestro próximo seminario web «Perspectivas indígenas sobre la fiebre mundial por los minerales críticos» el martes 13 de enero a las 10:00 a. m. (hora del este). Se ofrecerá interpretación en español, francés e inglés. Inscripción 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join us in early 2026 for an event series co-hosted by @miningwatch.bsky.social examining key issues surrounding so-called "critical minerals." See the registration details on our website. @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social @canrac.bsky.social

Rejoignez-nous au début de l'année 2026 pour une série d'événements co-organisés par @miningwatch.bsky.social qui examineront les questions clés relatives aux « minéraux critiques ». Consultez les détails de l'inscription sur notre site web. @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social @canrac.bsky.social

👉 Earlier this month, Above Ground's director Karen Hamilton had the pleasure of presenting at the inaugural conference of the Canadian Forum for Business and Human Rights at the University of Manitoba. Read more here: canadianforumforbhr.ca

"NGOs welcome the EU Ombudswoman’s finding that the EU Commission committed maladministration in rolling back key environmental and human rights protections." Read the full press release here: corporatejustice.org/news/joint-p...

Georgina Alonso, Senior Research and Advocacy Officer at Above Ground, is participating in this year's UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva #BHRForum

🇨🇦 👉 Read in @thewalrus.ca: "The Overlooked Canadian Role in Trump’s Migrant Crackdown" with quotes from @abovegroundngo.bsky.social and @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social. thewalrus.ca/the-overlook...

Canada’s next extractive industry: How #AI is following the fossil fuel playbook. Ottawa is betting on artificial intelligence. Just like #BigOil, Big Tech is building infrastructure that will be nearly impossible to dismantle. New from @terraloire.bsky.social: ricochet.media/climate/cana...

📣GOOD NEWS📣 A group of fishers from Indonesia are a step closer to justice following a U.S. court’s decision to proceed with their case alleging slavery at sea. https://ow.ly/546o50XrnnM