Steep penalties mirror America’s hardline approach
The union said it represents 40,000 auto workers and 320,000 workers across Canada (including Financial Post newsroom employees).
Unifor said this has led to nine new “greenfield” auto-sector factories being announced in recent years — the first ones since 2005, it said — which it expects to support 12,000 direct jobs and reverse years of declining output. By 2031, the union said it expects annual vehicle production to increase by 37 per cent to 1.8 million units.
Unifor said China has weak labour and environmental standards that exploit its workers, including forced labour in some cases.
In 2022, the union said, the United Nations’ high commissioner charged China with committing crimes against humanity, including torture and forced labour, against the Uyghur and Turkic Muslim communities in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.
Xinjiang is also where nine per cent of the world’s aluminum, which is used in many vehicles, is produced, according to the union.
“The concern is a high risk of goods produced with forced labour are circulating through the global auto supply chain, and not just in vehicles made in China or by Chinese automakers, but all automakers including those based in North America,” the UN said.
Unifor also called for new mechanisms to make it easier to enforce trade prohibitions on goods produced with forced labour.
It also took aim at restrictions put on foreign automakers operating in China, which have had to partner with domestic brands, and had other recommendations, such as excluding Chinese EVs from federal incentive programs.