cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/12170106

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Full report in English: Strengthening Canada’s response to forced labour (pdf)

Full report in French: Renforcer la réponse du Canada au travail forcé (pdf)

Anti-Slavery International and Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, tow rights groups, welcome the Government of Canada’s commitment to strengthen legislation to address forced labour in global supply chains, the two organizations say in a report.

Bill C-35, an Act respecting the prohibition of the importation of goods produced with forced labour, is an opportunity for the government to replace the existing ban under the Customs Tariff with one that is more effective, comprehensive, properly resourced and robustly enforced.

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One of the central proposals involves Bill C-35, legislation introduced in June 2026 to strengthen Canada’s ability to prevent goods produced through forced labour from reaching Canadian consumers.

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In their report, the NGOs refer to Canada PM Mark Carney’s deal with China that allows Chinese carmakers to import 49,000 cars into Canada, warning about the "Chinese State’s forced labour programmes should be understood as a direct contravention of ILO [International Labour Organization] Convention No. 105, which focuses on state-imposed forced labour. It prohibits ratifying States - including the People’s Republic of China - from using forced labour.

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Supply chains across industries are concentrated in China’s Uyghur Region or are linked to the coercive transfer of Uyghurs to workplaces across the country, including renewable energy sectors, cotton, agriculture, and hospitality.

… There will likely be heavy investment in these industries over the coming years, which will involve the use of state-imposed forced labour, including labour transfers. Given this trajectory, in the absence of robust legislation, it is a virtual certainty that significant quantities of goods tainted by forced labour will enter Canadian supply chains and markets in the coming years.

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Alongside an obligation to conduct human rights due diligence, Canada should also consider adopting a duty to prevent human rights abuse approach, the report says.

Norway, France, Germany and the Netherlands already have such laws. All European Economic Area members should in the future have such laws in place as a result of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

In addition, the Government of Australia recently announced its intention to propose a ‘failure to prevent’ forced labour law. In the UK, Anti-Slavery International is calling on the government to introduce such a law.

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Sectoral case study: Uyghur forced labour in electric vehicle supply chains

The electric vehicle (EV) sector is a rapidly growing industry and has a critical role in the transition away from fossil fuels. However, the industry’s supply chain is heavily implicated in Uyghur forced labour, due to its reliance on the Uyghur Region for the processing and manufacturing of critical raw materials.

These materials include copper, steel, aluminium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, lithium and manganese. For example:

• Aluminium: Almost a tenth of the world’s aluminium is produced in the Uyghur Region. This material is used in automotive parts; its light weight allows EVs to travel further before needing to be recharged.20 Battery production: 44% of the world’s chemical lithium, 78% of cathodes, 91% of anodes, and 70% of lithium-ion battery cells are estimated to be processed in China, with an increasing percentage in the Uyghur Region. Lithium-ion batteries are critical to electric vehicles as they replace the power of a traditional engine.
• Copper: The majority of the world’s copper processing occurs in China, with some of the most significant activity located in the Uyghur Region. Copper is a component in many EV batteries, is required for EV charging stations, and is used for EV wiring, motors and inverters.

Such activity has been found by researchers to be heavily implicated in the Government of China’s state-imposed forced labour programmes, the report says.

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