QUESTION PERIOD — COVID-19 Pandemic
Human Rights
June 17, 2020
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. As a result of the pandemic, there is an increased risk of modern slavery, especially in the global manufacturing sector as it responds to the huge demand for masks and other PPE. Here are two examples: In South Africa, workers were literally locked inside a mask factory for several days, and in Malaysia, there have been reports of dormitories and busloads of migrants working on assembly lines for 12 hours a day without social distancing. Are we complicit in such human rights violations? When the Canadian government purchases tonnes of equipment as a matter of urgency, does Public Services and Procurement Canada check with suppliers to ensure that we aren’t supporting the use of forced labour and child labour?
I thank the honourable senator for her question. I also thank you for the work you are doing with the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. I have been told that, as part of the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, which was launched in 2019, the government is taking steps to improve Canada’s supply chains to ensure they do not involve activities related to human trafficking and exploitive labour.
With respect to procurement, I have been told that, number one, Public Services and Procurement Canada gathers available information in order to analyze the risk of forced labour, including child labour, in the department’s supply chain. Number two, Canada’s new agreement with the United States and Mexico prohibits the importation of goods produced using forced labour, which includes forced child labour.
Esteemed colleagues, modern slavery is a terrible problem that the government takes very seriously, and we will keep working to resolve it.
If I understand correctly, the government is still looking at this issue and looking for ways to handle it. You and I both know that there was a parliamentary committee and that this has been an issue for quite some time. Countries such as Australia have already passed legislation to ensure that the public service can buy products that are free of forced labour. Are we behind the times compared to what is happening elsewhere?
Like the government, we will ensure that measures implemented via legislation or otherwise are effective and address the serious problem you raised.
