Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, ON) urged a committee of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to encourage Canada to adopt measures similar to U.S. Customs to limit importing goods produced through slave labour in China..Chong said Canada “can’t be the place” where Chinese manufacturers export their slave-made goods, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“We are part of a North American free trade zone,” said Chong. .“We can’t be the place where these products have a back door to come in. That is another example where I think we could work much more closely with a democracy like the United States to learn how to implement these sorts of bans.”.When testifying at the Congressional Executive Commission on China, Chong pointed out that the U.S. Customs had intercepted thousands of shipments containing goods produced through slave labour, which included clothing, footwear, and solar panels..“In Canada, we have yet to seize one shipment,” said Chong..“There was a single shipment that was seized but later released.”.Evidence presented during the Commons Foreign Affairs committee meetings showed that in 2021, the Canada Border Services Agency briefly stopped a shipping container in Quebec containing clothing made in China..According to official estimates, Canadian ports manage around 1.8 million shipping containers annually..Ryan Zinke, a Republican Congressman from Montana and a former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, raised concerns about using slave-made goods, even if these products are considered environmentally friendly..“A concern when you talk about green technologies is electric vehicles,” said Zinke. .“It sounds so nice. I’m all for ‘cleaner is better’ etcetera, but I’m concerned about the supply chain.”.“When you look at what is required for a battery, well, lithium, cobalt,” said Zinke. .“Who controls the mining of lithium, cobalt and those other materials? And then the chips. Who is making the chips that run it? And the production? And it goes on and on.”.“It seems like we’re pushing an agenda without looking at the engine behind it and the engine seems to be Chinese,” said Zinke. .“Do you share that same concern?”.“Yes, I share that same concern,” replied Chong. He sponsored a 2021 Commons censuring China for atrocities like forced labour..During a debate on Chong's proposal, MPs were informed that Chinese forced labour made 20% of the world's cotton, 32% of canned tomato products, and 41% of polysilicon used in producing solar panels..The Congressional Executive Commission, in a 2020 report, said international trade was “tainted with goods and products made with forced labour” in China. .“Businesses and consumers should not be complicit,” said the report Forced Labour and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region..Slave-made goods included apparel and carpeting, “electronics including cellphones,” shoes, tea and other products, said the report. .The Executive Commission also named multinational companies “suspected of directly employing forced labour or sourcing from suppliers suspected of using forced labour,” including Adidas, Calvin Klein, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Costco, Kraft Heinz, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger.
