Canada’s Corporate Responsibility Ombudsman announced Tuesday that it is launching a formal investigation into Ralph Lauren Canada’s alleged use of Uyghur forced labor.

It’s unclear whether the fashion company is doing enough to eliminate components related to the mistreatment of this Chinese minority from its supply chains, Sheri Meyerhoffer said in a statement.

M^Me Meyerhoffer also called on Toronto-based mining company GobiMin to improve its policies to prevent the potential use of forced labor in its supply chains.

“Following the release of these reports, the office will begin an investigation into the complaint against Ralph Lauren Canada,” the Canada Responsible Business Ombudsman said in a statement.

The lawsuit against Ralph Lauren Canada was filed in June 2022.

The Ombudsman’s first assessment report shows that, in reply to his questions in November, Ralph Lauren Canada insisted that its headquarters are in the United States and therefore cannot be the subject of a Canadian inquiry. Later, in June last year, the company detailed the measures it was taking to prevent abuse in its supply chain.

“Ralph Lauren Canada’s refusal to participate in the initial evaluation phase [de l’ombudsman]followed by a last minute change demonstrating a willingness to participate and collaborate in the process […]made it difficult to complete the assessment,” the report, released on Tuesday, said.

M^Me Meyerhoffer emphasizes that “to be effective, human rights due diligence must take place in an open, participatory and responsive environment to address grievances or complaints from stakeholders.”

“Re-education” camps

China denies that forced labor of Uyghur citizens takes place in so-called “detention centers” or “re-education camps” in Xinjiang. After several deadly attacks in China, Beijing assures that these centers are intended to eliminate Islamist radicalization.

But the United Nations found in 2022 that China had committed “grave human rights abuses” against Uyghurs and other Muslim communities that “could constitute crimes under international law, particularly crimes against humanity.”

The US government has stated that cotton or tomato products from China pose a high risk of forced labor by Uyghurs.

The Ombudsman Meyerhoffer names two suppliers of textile materials for Ralph Lauren in his report. Experts claim that these two suppliers bought cotton from Xinjiang through middlemen or contributed to the transfer of forced laborers.

M^Me Meyerhoffer points out that Ralph Lauren has issued multiple statements, prepared human rights reports and interviewed its own suppliers. In addition, the company is committed in advance to a process to improve its supplier data.

However, according to the Federal Ombudsman, it is not clear from these documents to what extent the company uses technology to trace the origin of fiber optics to ensure that it does not use products from forced labor. M^Me Meyerhoffer encouraged the company to mediate with the plaintiffs, a coalition of human rights groups that includes many Uyghur organizations. She said the trial could take place behind closed doors and the ombudsman would review the final outcome.

Had Ralph Lauren cooperated with the investigation at the outset, the plaintiffs would have consented to confidential mediation — and the company would not have been named publicly, the ombudsman noted.

A monitored mine

In another report, Mr^Me Meyerhoffer has asked Toronto-based mining company GobiMin to improve its corporate reporting after it was accused of hiring local companies that used slave labor at a gold mine in Xinjiang before it sold the mine to a Chinese company last year.

“GobiMin also failed to provide evidence that it responsibly exited this high-risk area when it sold its stake in Xinjiang Tongyuan Minerals Limited,” the ombudsman said in that second report.

Canada’s Responsible Business Ombudsman’s office opened in 2018 and its previously announced four “initial assessments” relate to China’s Xinjiang region, home to the majority of the country’s Uyghur population. M^Me Meyerhoffer reported similar allegations against Nike Canada and Dynasty Gold last month.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa assures that Beijing does not allow modern slavery. “The charge of ‘forced labour’ in Xinjiang is a huge lie concocted by anti-Chinese forces to denigrate China for the sole purpose of destabilizing Xinjiang and curbing China’s development under the guise of so-called ‘security problems.’ human rights,” a spokesman wrote last month in response to Mr.^Me Meyerhofer.

“This completely contradicts the reality in Xinjiang, where the cotton and other industries depend on large-scale mechanized production and the rights of workers of all ethnic groups.” […] are properly protected. »

Those who criticize this federal organization argue that it lacks the tools it needs to be effective, such as the ability to compel filing of documents and subpoena witnesses. If the Ombudsman finds that a company is not acting in good faith, it can exclude it from Canadian assistance. However, his mandate does not allow him to impose fines or other punitive measures on companies.

The Canadian press attempted to obtain comment from Ralph Lauren Canada and GobiMin but was unsuccessful.

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