The Liberal government is facing criticism over proposed legislation that would give cabinet broad discretion to decide which imported goods are subject to Canada’s forced labour ban, a move critics say could leave Chinese products largely untouched despite ongoing concerns about slave labour in supply chains.Blacklock's Reporter says Bill C-35, An Act Respecting The Prohibition Of Importation Of Goods Produced By Forced Labour, would allow cabinet to create a list of products suspected of being made wholly or partly through forced labour. Only goods appearing on that list would be subject to seizure under the Customs Act.Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said the legislation would create a Canadian-made approach to identifying suspect goods.“This made-in-Canada solution will give the Minister of Foreign Affairs the authority to establish that list of goods that have the potential, or there’s a history or there’s an indication that there could be forced labour,” Oliphant said. “The minister will create that list based on knowledge and information that we have at our department.”Oliphant stressed the legislation was not intended to restrict trade.“We are opening trade,” he told reporters. “The Prime Minister has been very clear.”When asked whether a shipment of frozen seafood from China could be seized under the legislation, Oliphant declined to speculate.“I worry about going into those sorts of hypotheticals,” he said. “I don’t know what the list will be.”Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet argued the legislation does not go far enough and leaves enforcement largely dependent on future cabinet decisions.Last October, the Bloc introduced Bill C-251, legislation intended to strengthen restrictions on imports linked to forced labour.“The importer will only be required to demonstrate that his goods are not made by forced labour if they are included in this list, which will be established by the Minister, by decree,” Blanchet said. “The effectiveness of the law will only be demonstrated following the adoption of such a decree.”Blanchet said his party would seek amendments to strengthen the bill.“We will be actively working on this bill to improve it and ensure that we block all goods that are made with forced labour or child labour,” he said in a statement. “This is a cause that goes beyond partisanship. It is a fundamental human rights issue.”.The debate comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has granted Chinese automakers a guaranteed five-year import quota of 278,989 battery-electric vehicles into Canada.On May 4, the Commons industry committee heard testimony that some Chinese-made electric vehicles retailing for about $35,000 are produced by workers earning as little as $3 an hour and contain aluminum linked to facilities in Xinjiang Province, where allegations of forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims have drawn international scrutiny.According to a 2024 Human Rights Watch report, Xinjiang accounts for 9% of global aluminum production.“The Chinese government has made Xinjiang a hub for heavy industry including aluminum production,” the report stated.Carney has repeatedly declined to directly answer whether he believes China uses forced labour.Asked March 30 if forced labour exists in China, the prime minister pointed instead to broader global concerns.“In terms of, look, I have followed this issue over the years in China and elsewhere,” Carney said. “There is evidence of child labour around the world.”“There is existence, I should say, of child labour and forced labour around the world,” he added. “There is an absolute requirement for companies, and I’ll put it there first, to know who their suppliers are, the conditions of their suppliers.”
