QUESTION PERIOD — Global Affairs
Forced Labour
June 15, 2026
Government leader, your government’s hypocrisy when dealing with China is breathtaking. While Minister Joly is in China, promoting deeper economic ties and seeking more Chinese electric vehicles, or EVs, for the Canadian market, your government now claims they will crack down on goods made with forced labour, after years of failing to enforce the existing laws.
This is the same government that refuses to clearly condemn Uighur forced labour and the same Prime Minister who will not give Canadians a straightforward answer about Beijing’s abuses.
If forced labour is truly unacceptable, why is your government working to deepen reliance on that country and supply chain linked to a regime that has clearly engaged in forced labour?
First, I will refer you to the declaration of the Prime Minister himself. Last week, he said that we still have a strong position on forced labour: It is totally unacceptable. The government will be tabling a law to make sure that those rules, which are quite strict at the moment, will become even stricter.
The government has been consistent in its messaging surrounding forced labour: It is unacceptable, and Canada must ensure that our supply chains remain free from these abuses, which is why Canada prioritized the inclusion of comprehensive labour provisions in free trade agreements.
If the government is serious about dealing with forced labour, what has it done, for example, to prevent products coming in from Xinjiang at our ports?
Secondly, with regard to all these EV deals with China, have we done a deep dive to find out the various components on those EVs that could very possibly be coming from these forced labour camps in Xinjiang?
The government works through Public Safety to reduce forced labour from our supply chains and to ensure that shipments containing goods suspected of having been produced through that practice are detained at the border for inspection by the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA.
Once again, the message of the government is quite clear and consistent: Forced labour is unacceptable.
