cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8204318
Recently, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed to downplay forced labor in China. When asked about the risks, he said some regions in China are “higher risk” and that it is an issue all around the world. His comments follow his colleague dismissing concerns about forced labor in China in a parliamentary hearing on March 26. Carney has defended Member of Parliament, Michael Ma, as well as the country’s efforts to keep forced labor out of its market.
But advocates are not convinced that Canada has “strong protections” in place as the Prime Minister insists. With forced labor import bans in the US and the EU, there are concerns that countries such as Canada can become potential dumping grounds. Further, Canada has previously taken a much stronger stance on forced labor in China.
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Canada has put measures in place aimed at blocking imports tied to forced labor. However, experts say these rules are rarely applied. Consequently, very few shipments are stopped at the border. Indeed, conservative MP Michael Chong, said Canada has a “terrible track record” of preventing the importation of products made with forced labor.
MP Chong told CBC, "I strongly disagree and I think many experts and many human rights groups would strongly disagree with the prime minister’s assessment that we have a rigorous system for preventing the importation of these products."
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This recent controversy comes after Michael Ma dismissed the legitimacy of evidence presented by experts as “hearsay.” The MP asked her repeatedly if she had seen forced labor with her own eyes. Since she cited reports by Human Rights Watch, Ma said, “I don’t believe reports, I only believe in things that I can see with my own eyes.”
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Chong called Ma’s performance at committee “incredibly damaging for Canada’s reputation.”
“It signals to the [People’s Republic of China] that they can intimidate the government of Canada into silence,” he said.
Ma later apologized for his comments. But PM Carney faced intense questioning throughout the week. At a news conference in Quebec, reporters asked if he agreed with a 2021 House of Commons motion declaring China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as genocide. He refused to answer, instead telling reporters, “There are fundamental issues in terms of China’s treatment of the Uyghurs in the past, and they’ve been rightly called out.”
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As recently as January 2026, UN experts raised renewed alarm about the Uyghur forced labor system in China. They noted that the “coercive elements” were “so severe” they amounted to “enslavement as a crime against humanity.”
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Meanwhile, after his China visit last week, Canadian Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne did not give straight answer on Chinese forced labour (video, 2 min, here is an alternative Invidious link).
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