Chinese-manufactured solar panels continue to enter Canada despite links to forced labour practices, according to recent Federal Court filings. Blacklock's Reporter says this comes just five months after Canada passed legislation requiring importers to ensure goods are not produced with slave labour.The trade practices came to light in a Federal Court case filed by Charge Solar Renewables Inc., a Victoria-based solar company, against the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Charge Solar alleges that shipments of its solar panels, imported from Longi Green Energy Technology Ltd., were detained by CBSA even as similar products from the same supplier were allowed into Canada. “Customers purchased solar modules and related goods that were identical or similar to the goods sometimes from the same supplier,” lawyers for Charge Solar wrote.Longi Green Energy, the Chinese supplier at the center of the dispute, has previously been linked to forced labour. In 2021, U.S. Customs detained Longi shipments over concerns that subcontractors used forced labour, specifically involving Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. Longi was also identified in a research paper from the U.K.’s Sheffield Hallam University, which stated, “Longi is a customer of many of the polysilicon companies that are engaged in labour transfers in the Uyghur region,” in its report, In Broad Daylight: Uyghur Forced Labour And Global Solar Supply Chains.In court documents, Charge Solar contended that its shipments from Longi Green were manufactured in Vietnam, not China. Affidavits from suppliers asserted that no parts were made with forced labour. “Canada Border Services Agency officers requested that Charge Solar provide documents and information for the purpose of determining whether the goods were prohibited or admissible into Canada,” wrote Charge Solar’s lawyers. A total of 47 shipping containers of Longi Green solar panels, valued at over $3.8 million USD, were held in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto before eventually being released.The court case is the first to provide details on the extent of Longi Green shipments to Canada since the passage of Bill S-211, An Act to Amend the Customs Tariff, which mandates large importers to report annually on steps taken to ensure their goods are free from forced labour. Under the law, companies with at least $40 million in revenue must disclose efforts to avoid slave-made imports or face fines of up to $250,000.However, enforcement remains an issue. According to an April 16 Inquiry Of Ministry submitted to the Commons, CBSA has yet to intercept any shipment for slave labour violations. Conservative MP Michael Chong criticized Canada’s enforcement efforts at a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., saying, “We can’t be the place where these products have a back door to come in.” He added, “Parliament could work much more closely with a democracy like the United States to learn how to implement these sorts of bans.”
Chinese-manufactured solar panels continue to enter Canada despite links to forced labour practices, according to recent Federal Court filings. Blacklock's Reporter says this comes just five months after Canada passed legislation requiring importers to ensure goods are not produced with slave labour.The trade practices came to light in a Federal Court case filed by Charge Solar Renewables Inc., a Victoria-based solar company, against the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Charge Solar alleges that shipments of its solar panels, imported from Longi Green Energy Technology Ltd., were detained by CBSA even as similar products from the same supplier were allowed into Canada. “Customers purchased solar modules and related goods that were identical or similar to the goods sometimes from the same supplier,” lawyers for Charge Solar wrote.Longi Green Energy, the Chinese supplier at the center of the dispute, has previously been linked to forced labour. In 2021, U.S. Customs detained Longi shipments over concerns that subcontractors used forced labour, specifically involving Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. Longi was also identified in a research paper from the U.K.’s Sheffield Hallam University, which stated, “Longi is a customer of many of the polysilicon companies that are engaged in labour transfers in the Uyghur region,” in its report, In Broad Daylight: Uyghur Forced Labour And Global Solar Supply Chains.In court documents, Charge Solar contended that its shipments from Longi Green were manufactured in Vietnam, not China. Affidavits from suppliers asserted that no parts were made with forced labour. “Canada Border Services Agency officers requested that Charge Solar provide documents and information for the purpose of determining whether the goods were prohibited or admissible into Canada,” wrote Charge Solar’s lawyers. A total of 47 shipping containers of Longi Green solar panels, valued at over $3.8 million USD, were held in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto before eventually being released.The court case is the first to provide details on the extent of Longi Green shipments to Canada since the passage of Bill S-211, An Act to Amend the Customs Tariff, which mandates large importers to report annually on steps taken to ensure their goods are free from forced labour. Under the law, companies with at least $40 million in revenue must disclose efforts to avoid slave-made imports or face fines of up to $250,000.However, enforcement remains an issue. According to an April 16 Inquiry Of Ministry submitted to the Commons, CBSA has yet to intercept any shipment for slave labour violations. Conservative MP Michael Chong criticized Canada’s enforcement efforts at a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., saying, “We can’t be the place where these products have a back door to come in.” He added, “Parliament could work much more closely with a democracy like the United States to learn how to implement these sorts of bans.”
