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4w ago

Conservatives Press Carney After Liberal MP Questions Evidence on Uyghur Forced Labour

The dispute tests whether Ottawa will match warmer trade ties with a clear stance on abuses documented by UN experts.

Chinese company BYD became the biggest-selling producer of electric vehicles in the world earlier this year. As more Chinese electric vehicles enter Canada, there's growing scrutiny here over the vehicles' supply chains.
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Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney walks on the flight deck of HMCS Margaret Brooke at HMC Dockyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Ingrid Bulmer
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Overview

  • At a House industry committee hearing Thursday, Liberal MP Michael Ma asked expert Margaret McCuaig-Johnston if she had personally seen forced labour in China and suggested her evidence was hearsay, while she cited Human Rights Watch research and UN findings.
  • Hours after the exchange Thursday, Ma apologized, said he meant to ask about Shenzhen manufacturing rather than Xinjiang, and stated he condemns forced labour in all forms.
  • Following Thursday’s hearing, Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong wrote Friday to Prime Minister Mark Carney seeking clarity on whether the government still assesses that Uyghur forced labour has occurred and whether Carney raised human rights during his January visit to Beijing.
  • The Chinese Embassy in Canada posted Friday night that forced labour claims tied to Chinese EV components are a blatant lie, and Chinese state-aligned media amplified Ma’s questioning, which the witness said harmed her reputation.
  • The committee review stems from Carney’s January decision to lower restrictions on some Chinese electric vehicles, and the dispute unfolds against Canada’s 2021 parliamentary motion labelling abuses in Xinjiang as genocide and ongoing UN concern about forced labour.