Canada's border enforcement agency has failed to intercept a single shipment of goods suspected of being produced through forced labour in countries outside China over the past decade, despite federal promises to crack down on products made using slave labour.Blacklock's Reporter says newly disclosed federal records show the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has recorded no interceptions or seizures of suspected forced labour imports from countries other than China since 2016.The figures were disclosed in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons following questions from Conservative MP Arnold Viersen (Peace River-Westlock, Alta.).“As of September 17, no shipments have been intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency involving goods potentially made with forced labour in a country other than China,” the government said in its response.The disclosure raises questions about Ottawa's enforcement of import restrictions designed to prevent goods produced through forced labour from entering the Canadian market.In a 2021 ministerial mandate letter, the Liberal government promised to “eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains and ensure Canadian businesses operating abroad do not contribute to human rights abuses.”However, the latest figures indicate federal border agents have not intercepted any suspected forced labour shipments originating outside China during the period examined.The government previously acknowledged failures to intercept Chinese imports suspected of being produced through forced labour.Viersen requested the latest figures as part of his scrutiny of Ottawa's efforts to stop products manufactured through exploitation from entering Canada.He specifically asked how many shipments had been intercepted or seized by the CBSA or RCMP since 2016 involving goods produced through forced labour in countries other than China.The government responded that responsibility for intercepting and seizing imports at Canadian ports of entry rests with the CBSA.Concerns about forced labour in international supply chains have persisted for years, particularly involving clothing, agricultural products and solar panel manufacturing.Parliament was told in 2021 that forced labour was linked to an estimated 20% of imported cotton products, 32% of tomato products and 41% of polysilicon solar panels.A 2020 report by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, titled Forced Labour And The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, identified several major international brands associated with suppliers suspected of using forced labour..The companies named included Adidas, Calvin Klein, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Costco, Kraft Heinz, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger.The report raised concerns about potential exposure to forced labour in supply chains. It did not establish that every company named had knowingly used forced labour.Viersen has previously criticized the federal government's record on enforcing restrictions against products made through exploitation.“These people are harvesting our coffee or the sugar we eat or making the clothes we wear,” he told the Commons.“Our enforcement to this point has been terrible.”Human rights organizations have also challenged Ottawa's handling of imports allegedly produced through forced labour.In 2023, advocates representing Uyghur interests unsuccessfully sought a court order compelling federal authorities to intercept goods suspected of being manufactured using forced labour.Lawyers for the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project argued the government's failure to act violated Canada's international human rights commitments.“By its acts and omissions the Government of Canada is violating its international obligations,” the organization's lawyers wrote.The Federal Court of Appeal rejected the legal challenge in 2023.“The appellants in the appeal have no right to request or obtain a ruling from Canada Border Services Agency,” Justice Mary Gleason wrote.The applicants had sought a judicial finding that the federal government was breaching its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.Canada ratified the convention in 1952.The latest federal response provides no indication that enforcement efforts have resulted in any interceptions of suspected forced labour imports from countries outside China during the past decade.It also does not establish how many potentially prohibited shipments may have entered Canada without being detected.
