Federal officials say Chinese-made electric vehicles imported into Canada could face scrutiny over potential links to forced labour, months after Ottawa approved a five-year quota allowing nearly 279,000 Chinese EVs into the country.Blacklock's Reporter says the admission came during a meeting of the House of Commons trade committee, where Conservative MPs questioned why the federal government opened the door to a large influx of Chinese battery-electric vehicles before determining whether their supply chains comply with Canada's forced-labour standards.Graeme Hamilton, director general with the Canada Border Services Agency, told MPs that automobile parts are already among the categories monitored by officials for potential forced-labour concerns.“Automobile parts, textiles and seafood are some of the commodities” currently under review, Hamilton said. He added that border officials compare import records against lists of companies suspected of links to forced labour and can detain shipments for inspection.“Several hundred entities are listed that we review import data against,” he said. “Where they are, targets are sent to the front line in order to detain their goods for redetermination or inspection upon arrival.”Conservative MP Michael Kram questioned how effective enforcement can be when Canadian officials have limited ability to verify manufacturing conditions in China.“Do we have inspectors who go to China and look at the assembly lines?” Kram asked.“You are stumbling upon some of the challenges we anticipated,” Hamilton replied..The exchange follows a March 11 cabinet decision granting Chinese automakers a guaranteed five-year import quota of 278,989 battery-electric vehicles. Three months later, the government introduced Bill C-35, legislation that would establish a blacklist of foreign goods prohibited from entering Canada if there are grounds to believe they were produced wholly or partly through forced labour.Kram pointed to U.S. findings linking some Chinese EV supply chains to forced labour involving Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang region, particularly in the production of lithium-ion batteries and aluminum components.“There is considerable evidence that automotive parts and automobiles are made with forced labour, and they are going to be coming to Canada,” said Kram. “How can that not be a significant challenge?”A 2024 U.S. Department of Labor report included Chinese auto parts on its list of goods believed to be produced through child or forced labour.Despite those concerns, Global Affairs officials said it is too early to determine whether Chinese EVs or automotive components would be included on any future blacklist established under Bill C-35.“We’re not at the stage of having the list,” said Sarah Wilshaw, senior assistant deputy minister for foreign affairs.Asked repeatedly whether electric vehicles from China could eventually be banned, Wilshaw declined to speculate.“It would be premature to say,” she told MPs. “We can’t presuppose what’s on the list at the moment.”.Kram questioned whether Ottawa acted responsibly by approving a large import quota before creating a mechanism to identify and block products linked to forced or child labour.“Would you say it’s more than a little bit irresponsible for the government to have let in these electric vehicles from China without the ability to ensure the supply chains do not have forced and child labour?” he asked.“I’m not sure it is my place to answer that question,” Wilshaw replied.Conservative MP Jacob Mantle said the government's challenge is not a lack of legislation but a lack of enforcement.“For months and months and months we have heard from the government that Canada has robust measures in place to combat forced labour,” said Mantle. “But the issue is not the law. The issue is the enforcement.”
