Trump, tariffs, and Canada’s opportunity to combat forced labour

Regardless of the political calculations behind its introduction, Bill C-35 presents a chance for Canada to move from transparency to accountability. If that opportunity is seized, it may prove to be the most refreshing development to emerge from this latest chapter in the tariff war.

U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured July 22, 2026, in Georgia. Leaving aside the irony of the U.S. lecturing other countries on forced labour, and the questionable practice of using modern slavery as a trade policy bargaining chip, the responses from affected countries have been revealing, writes John McKay. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Molly Riley

Opinion

BY JOHN MCKAY

August 3, 2026

SCARBOROUGH, ONT.—Recent headlines have bordered on the absurd. One proclaimed that United States President Donald Trump threatened increased tariffs because Canadian wildfire smoke had “unnecessarily invaded” the U.S. Another reported that he urged Prime Minister Mark...

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