Canada a ‘dumping ground’ for products made by forced labour, Ottawa promises crackdown
Global News
Seamus O'Regan Jr. made the announcement to mark the United Nations annual World Day Against Child Labour, meant to raise awareness about forced labour practices.
The Canadian government will introduce legislation next year to eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains, the Minister of Labour said Monday.
Seamus O’Regan Jr. made the announcement to mark the United Nations annual World Day Against Child Labour, meant to raise awareness about forced labour practices.
Human rights activists told Global News the promised legislation is badly needed and overdue, citing numerous examples of products linked to forced labour allegations in China’s Xinjiang region, which are widely available for sale in Canada.
“Canada is a dumping ground for products made by the use of Uyghur forced labour,” said Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project.
The alleged culprits include one of the world’s most popular fashion brands: Shein, the Chinese online retailer, targets young shoppers with low prices and was the world’s most popular fashion brand last year.
The company is accused of making its billions on the backs of forced labourers.
“We see (the product) is cheap. It is cheap because it is made by forced labour,” Tohti said.
He accused Shein of using cotton produced in Xinjiang, where human rights groups say Beijing is conducting a genocide against Uyghur Muslims involving forced labour camps.
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