VANCOUVER—Canada is failing mainland China’s minority Uighur population in the wake of a damning report detailing how interned members of the ethnic group are being used for forced labour to produce items being sold around the world including Canada, says a Canadian Representative for the World Uighur Congress.

Canada’s lack of action comes as the United States prepares legislation meant to discourage the practice, said Mehmet Tohti of the WUC.

“There’s no answer from Canada on the forced labour,” Tohti said. “That makes me sad.”

China’s Muslim Uighur minority mostly inhabits its far western Xinjiang autonomous region.

In the last two years well-documented reports, some based on leaked Chinese government documents, about massive internment camps holding up to two million Uighurs for re-education have emerged. Human rights activists say the move is aimed at wiping out their cultural identity.

China has denied the allegations, including on March 4 when its ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, called reports of the camps “fake news” at a defence conference in Ottawa. Cong said the camps were “vocational training centres,” according to media reports.

But nearly two weeks ago, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute released a comprehensive report titled “Uighurs for Sale,” detailing how more than 80,000 of those interned have been forced to work in factories throughout China, in some cases being part of supply chains used to make products for some of the world’s most popular brands. It said the 80,000 is a “conservative” figure.

Canada’s Bombardier was on a list of 83 companies in the report whose supply chains are alleged to have included forced labour from Uighurs. The Montreal-based company has said it is investigating the allegations. Apple, Nike, Huawei, H&M, BMW and Sony are also on the list in the ASPI report.

The report specifically notes that technology for touch screens used in products made by Lenovo, Samsung and Huawei were produced by one manufacturer using Uighur labour. The same company, which says it makes these products on its website, also says it manufacture cameras for some iPhone models.

“Companies using forced Uighur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour or mandate disclosure of forced labour supply chain risks,” said the report.

“The companies listed in this report should conduct immediate and thorough human rights due diligence on their factory labour in China, including robust and independent social audits and inspections.”

Given the number of global brands on the list, Tohti said there is no way products made partly through Uighur forced labour are not being sold in Canada.

The lack of response from Ottawa in the wake of the report is “shocking” said Tohti. But he has also been disheartened that the Canadian business and political community has continued to pursue greater trade ties with China despite the revelations.

Tohti attended a luncheon in Ottawa Monday hosted by Global Affairs Canada. There, he spoke to the room about the internment and forced labour of Uighurs in China. At the same luncheon, he said, business people made a case for greater engagement and trade with mainland China.

Monday, Canada’s ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, recorded a “special message” for the Canada China Business Council, which includes member companies owned directly by Beijing. Barton offered help to the council’s members and praised their role in business with China as important for “prosperity” in Canada.

“No one is disputing that there’s a problem in China when it comes to human rights,” Tohti said. “But there are also some people basically saying, not openly, that we have to close our eyes and continue to do business.”

Tohti said he spoke directly with Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne about the issue at the luncheon. Champagne listened, he said, but no firm commitment for action was made.

The Canada Border Services Agency said it has no role in preventing goods made from forced labour from entering the country, but legislative changes currently in review by Parliament would change the customs tariff to include prohibitions on such items.

Meanwhile, in the United States, bipartisan legislation was proposed Wednesday to ban imports coming from Xinjiang province in protest of the forced labour and other human rights abuses.

Titled the Uighur Forced Labour Prevention Act it aims to “ensure that goods made with forced labour in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region do not enter the United States market” and to encourage the international community to do the same.

The proposed legislation would use import controls, financial sanctions and export restrictions to help achieve its goals. It also lays out a plan to raise awareness to consumers about forced labour being used in Xinjiang.

The bill also addresses other human rights violations in Xinjiang, such as torture and forced internment. According to the act, it would not terminate until mainland China can prove it has ended forced labour and other human rights violations in the region.

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Tohti would like to see similar legislation introduced in Canada to ban all products coming from forced labour in China and for Ottawa to make further opening Canada up to trade with the rest of the world a priority.

But, given Ottawa’s track record on pushing for engagement with China, despite years of human rights concerns and recent attacks on Canada’s economy after the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, he said he isn’t optimistic.

“In the eyes of China, Canada’s a good kid,” Tohti said, “a listening kid.”

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