Conservative politicians are calling on the Trudeau government to ban the import of goods from China’s Xinjiang region made with forced labour.
Xinjiang is home to the Uyghur Muslim population, which is subjected to acts of genocide, torture and abuse at the hands of the China’s communist government.
In addition to clear evidence of genocide, it has been reported that an estimated 100,000 Uyghurs and other minority groups may be subjected to forced labour and these products are being exported to western nations.
A Mar. 2020 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that over 83 companies had allegedly directly or indirectly benefited from the labour of Uyghur workers outside of Xinjiang.
These companies include Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Amazon, Apple, BMW, Fila, Gap, H&M, Nike, North Face, Puma, Samsung and Uniqlo.
Conservative politicians held a press conference on Monday urging the government to take action on the matter. Conservative Senator Leo Housakos, MP Garnett Genuis, NBA free agent Enes Kanter Freedom and international human rights lawyer Sarah Teich were in attendance.
Housakos, who recently introduced a private member’s bill which would outlaw the importation of goods manufactured in Xinjiang, said the government’s lack of action means Canada is complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur population.
“We are complicit in one of the greatest human rights abuses of our time,” said Housakos.
Genuis echoed Housakos’ sentiment, saying “the government has lagged behind in terms of taking the actions that are required at a government level.”
NBA free agent Enes Kanter Freedom said that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs must be labelled genocide. “We have to call it like it is, and we have to do whatever we can to help those innocent people over there.”
“Sometimes the things that you talk about can cost a lot. You have to make some sacrifices.”
Kanter Freedom also called out Nike, one of the NBA’s biggest sponsors, for its silence on the Uyghur issue while promoting other social justice causes.
“Nike, they stand up for, you know, the Latino community, LGBTQ community. They stand up for Black Lives Matter, no Asian hate, but unfortunately when it comes to, you know, China, they remain silent.”
Despite countless human rights violations and its complete disregard for international laws, China has remained mainly unchecked and unsanctioned by Canada.
In response to a question by True North on why sanctions similar to ones placed on Russians following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine have not been placed on Chinese officials, Genius said that some world leaders may see the situation as different.
“I think for some world leaders, perhaps, they see the invasion of Ukraine as being kind of different from what China is doing because it involves the transgression of an international boundary”, said Genuis.
Meanwhile, Housakos said he believes the interests of large powerful corporations are at play.
“I think the bottom line is we have some large, powerful corporations in the Western democratic world that are making a lot of money in China. And those corporations have an extraordinary amount of influence on our governments, right across the G7”, said Huskasos.
He described the situation as a “sad reality” and said more people living in the west need to be sensitized.
There is currently no ban on the importation of products made from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, despite obligations by the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement to ban imports made with forced labour.
In fact, the only shipment that had been stopped by CBSA was later released after the importer challenged its seizure. A federal court also rejected a bid from human rights activists to ban imports from the regions.
Meanwhile, other nations have acted to limit the importation of goods from Xinjiang, including the United States, which banned imports from the region.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been accused of not taking the Uyghur file seriously. Trudeau, who once said in 2013 that he admired China’s “basic dictatorship”, abstained from voting on a motion declaring the Uyghur treatment in China a genocide.
The motion did eventually pass with unanimous support – despite the abstention of Trudeau and his cabinet.
