Labour Standards and Economic Resilience: A Tripartite Perspective

About the event

Strong labour standards and economic growth are mutually reinforcing, not competing objectives. As governments diversify supply chains and develop new partnerships to meet the needs of strategic sectors, it is essential that competitiveness is not achieved at the expense of labour standards. Addressing labour rights risks has become an increasingly important component of broader economic policy. Respect for international labour standards help protect workers, promote a more stable and predictable business environment, reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions, and support sustainable economic growth. The challenge is to ensure that these standards are coherent, practical, and capable of delivering meaningful results at the national level.

Canada is playing an increasingly important role in strengthening economic resilience, particularly in diversifying its supply chains. At the same time, Canada's strengthened effort in addressing goods produced with forced labour reflects the growing emphasis on ensuring that economic engagement is supported by robust labour governance. Together, these developments provide an important opportunity to consider how labour standards can support resilient supply chains, uphold international labour commitments, and foster sustainable economic growth.

This high-level tripartite dialogue will bring together representatives from the Canadian government, employers, and workers organizations, together with the ILO Director General, to exchange perspectives on practical pathways for strengthening labour standards as a foundation for resilient and competitive economic growth. The discussion will explore what is working well, where opportunities and collaboration exist to improve labour outcomes, and what complementary measures are needed.

Participants will also consider how Canada and the ILO can translate international labour standards and the new G7 Critical Minerals Toolkit into practical, interoperable approaches for risk identification, prevention, due diligence, and enforcement.

Agenda

Forthcoming