It's time for truth-about-sweatshops legislation in Canada
Labels at retail outlets provide no information allowing consumers to identify manufacturers who exploit men, women and childrenOttawa - It's time for Canada to adopt truth-about-sweatshops legislation telling consumers where imported products are made and the identity of facilities producing them, says the Canadian Labour Congress.
Every year at this time, Canadians flock by the millions to malls and stores for the holiday shopping season, the three-million-member congress says. But consumers who care about the conditions of workers producing the products on display are out of luck.
Labels on imported products sold in Canada identify only the country of origin and provide no information about the source factory and working conditions. Yet labels that identify production facilities are standard practice even in China, the CLC notes.
“The Canadian public has a right to know the conditions in which the products they buy are manufactured," argues CLC president Ken Georgetti.
"This information is a basic requirement for consumers who want to make informed and ethical choices. If China can do it, why can’t Canada?”
Georgetti says it is high time companies and retailers get the message that they cannot continue to fill their pockets by abusing and exploiting men, women and children in sweatshops around the world.
"The Canadian government owes it to conscientious citizens to improve labelling requirements for textile products sold in Canada," Georgetti says.
The CLC represents three million Canadian workers, including the 340,000 who are members of the National Union of Public and General Employees. Besides national and international unions, the CLC's membership also includes provincial and territorial federations of labour and 137 district labour councils. NUPGE
- Chantel
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