Canada has failed to stop a single shipment of products made from the forced labour of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China.

 

Since 2016, zero shipments have been blocked from Xinjiang into Canada. This is despite a parliamentary report highlighting this issue and asking the Government of Canada to act. Canada, has therefore, “become a dumping ground for Uyghur forced labour products” (Toronto Star, June 21, 2022).

 

In stark contrast, the United States (U.S.) passed legislation, explicitly barring the importation of goods made with forced labour. By taking this action, the U.S. has stopped billions of dollars of goods produced using slave labour.

 

On December 10, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement which began, “Defending human rights and democracy has always been, and will continue to be, a priority for Canada – both here at home and around the world.” Clearly, this is just lip service.

 

The U.S. has a plan, Canada does not. This is wrong. Please tell the Prime Minister he must take immediate action by sending an e-mail to him at pm@pm.gc.ca I also want to hear from you. Please complete a brief survey on my website at kyleseeback.ca/stopforcedlabour