Alberta Liberal MLA David Swann recent wrote a letter to PepsiCo asking it to honor its corporate code of ethics and stop buying potatoes from Alberta for its line of chips. Pepsi's ethical code prohibits suppliers form using child labourers and many Alberta farms do just that.
Swann's argument is that child agricultural labour in Alberta is effectively unregulated. This is true. About the only thing that might apply is child welfare laws. But who would report abuse? The children? Typically they are working for their parents. Are 12-year-olds really going to narc out mommy and daddy? Or even realize they are being endangered?
Swann then "promises" to pursue this issue publicly in the months to come. Y read on this is it is a very gentle threat that he's going to name some big companies that buy products grown with child labour. That should make for some good headlines!
-- Bob Barnetson
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