Nike Canada and Dynasty Gold Corporation are the subjects of two separate investigations into the alleged use of Uyghur forced labour in China.
Sherri Meyerhoffer, the Canadian Ombudsperson Responsible for Enterprise (CORE) made the announcement on Tuesday.
“I have decided to launch investigations into these complaints in order to get the facts and recommend the appropriate actions,” Meyerhoffer said.
“I have not pre-judged the outcome of the investigations. We will await the results and we will publish final reports with my recommendations.”
The Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim minority group. About 12 million live in China’s Xinjiang province, and China has been accused of using forced birth control and sterilization to limit Uyghur births and forcing them into detention camps.
In February 2021, the House of Commons voted to recognize China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as a genocide in a non-binding motion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the cabinet ministers at the time abstained from the vote, which reflects the will of the chamber and not government policy.
Meyerhoffer’s office released two assessment reports detailing the allegations against both Nike Canada and Dynasty Gold.
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The Nike report outlines allegations that the company has supply relationships with Chinese companies that use or benefit from the use of Uyghur forced labour. The report contains a response from Nike, saying they do not have ties with the Chinese companies named in the complaint and are working with suppliers to ensure materials do not involve Uyghur forced labour.
For Dynasty Gold, it is alleged the company benefitted from Uyghur forced labour at a mine where the company holds a majority interest. In Dynasty Gold’s response, the company says it terminated its mineral exploration activities in Xinjiang in 2008 and no longer has control over the mine in question.
The CORE was established in 2019, with the mandate to hold Canadian companies in the garment, mining and oil and gas sectors accountable for possible human rights abuses that happen outside of Canada.
Meyerhoffer says that mediation is not currently an option in these two cases, so she is launching an investigation into the complaints.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Meyerhoffer will publish final reports with recommendations to the companies and to the trade minister if necessary.