TMU CSR Institute hybrid in-person/zoom session: Modern Slavery, Business, and the Law - in conversation with Matt Friedman of Hong Kong's Mekong Club

The Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)* is pleased to present a hybrid in-person/zoom interactive session, Modern Slavery, Business, and the Law =>in conversation with Matt Friedman of Hong Kong's Mekong Club (details below), on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm (Toronto time). The session will take place at TMU's Ted Rogers School of Management, located at 55 Dundas Street, Toronto (West), on the ninth floor in Room TRS 3-109.

Although everyone is welcome to attend this no-admission fee session (in person or by zoom), to attend you must first register by clicking HERE (external link)  and then pressing the "register" button.

Zoom participants: for registered participants who are attending virtually by zoom, on September 21 at 12 noon click HERE (external link)  to patch in for the session. Note the 1.5 hour duration of this session.

Modern Slavery and the Private Sector

The issue of modern slavery in Canada is a very sensitive topic within the private sector. The UN describes modern slavery as encompassing situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power, covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. In addition, the UN notes that more than 150 million children are subject to child labour, accounting for almost one in ten children around the world.

Many companies don’t want to believe that modern slavery could be a part of their supply chains. Others recognize the problem, but don’t know how to get started solving it. Still others are unsure of the quality of their anti-slavery systems relative to their peers and don’t know how to improve their policies and procedures. But with a range of new legislation related to modern slavery globally and within Canada, increasing numbers of lawsuits against corporations, and wider media attention, ignoring this issue is not an option.

The reality is that modern slavery practices such as forced labor and debt bondage are part of every economy, including Canada’s. Most Canadian businesses would be horrified to learn that their products were made by workers who qualify as being in situations of modern slavery, someplace in the world, that their extraction or product manufacturing activities could be using slave labour and that traffickers could be laundering money through their bank.

About Matt Friedman and the Mekong Club

Ideally positioned to discuss this topic is Matt Friedman, an award-winning international human trafficking expert with more than 35 years’ experience. He is CEO of The Mekong Club, a non-profit organization of Hong Kong’s leading businesses which have joined forces to help end all forms of modern slavery. Mr. Friedman previously worked for USAID and the United Nations in over 40 countries. Mr. Friedman offers technical advice to numerous governments, banks and corporations working to eliminate all forms of modern slavery and is the author of twelve books. His recent Penguin/Random House book entitled, “Where Were You: A Profile of Modern Slavery,” is being used as a human trafficking textbook. In 2017, Mr. Friedman won Asia’s prestigious “Communicator of the Year” Gold Award.

Among other things, the conversation will involve discussions of the changing modern slavery paradigm in all its forms, an update on recent and emerging legislation (Canadian and beyond); and an exploration of the business-modern slavery linkages (including practical approaches to addressing the issue).

Moderator

Moderating the session will be Dr. Kernaghan Webb, Director of the TMI CSR Institute and a Law and Business professor in TMU's Ted Rogers School of Management who is also cross appointed to the Lincoln Alexander School of Law.

The talk is co-sponsored by the TMU Corporate Social Responsibility Student Association, the TMU Commerce and Government Association, and the TMU Law and Business Student Association.  

Information will be provided during the session re: how to submit questions.  

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TMU's MBA program is ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek (external link)  as in the Top 25 Internationally and the Top 5 in Canada. According to the Corporate Knights 2021 Better World Ranking, the Ted Rogers MBA was ranked #3 in Canada and ranked eleventh globally for integrating sustainability.

Based on their Better World Ranking, Corporate Knights has ranked the Ted Rogers School of Management as being first overall in Canada for its Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) program.

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For more information concerning TMU CSR Institute events (videos and related information available for past sessions), click here.

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*In August 2021, Ryerson University announced that it would begin a renaming process, and on April 26, 2022 the new name, Toronto Metropolitan University was selected. The University is currently in a transition phase from the one name to the other. Apologies in advance for any confusion this may cause.

Toronto is in the 'Dish With One Spoon Territory.' The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.