AMF publishes guidance on modern slavery disclosure requirements

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) today published a notice relating to modern slavery disclosure requirements, which provides guidance to issuers.

Modern slavery can take a variety of forms, including any work or service performed by a person involuntarily and under threat of penalty, says an AMF release.

“Modern slavery affects tens of millions of people around the world, and Canadian issuers may be directly or indirectly exposed to this serious problem,” says Louis Morisset, AMF president and CEO, in the release. “The AMF recognizes that modern slavery, in all its forms, is a growing concern for some market participants. That is why we are insisting on the importance for issuers of disclosing the required information as part of their continuous disclosure obligations […].”

The notice provides an overview of recent key regulatory or government initiatives and highlights investors’ growing interest in issuers’ social responsibility. It also describes requirements that may compel issuers to provide information on modern slavery in their continuous disclosure documents and presents the results of an issue-oriented review by AMF staff of the disclosure practices of certain issuers.

Staff

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