Minister distances party from Liberal MP's comments on forced labour in China

OTTAWA — Energy Minister Tim Hodgson suggested his colleague Michael Ma’s views do not reflect those of the Liberal party, the day after the floor-crossing MP apologized for comments casting doubt on reports of China’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

During a press conference on Friday, Hodgson also referred any additional questions on Ma’s controversial comments to Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose office has not issued a statement on the issue in two days.

On Thursday, during a Commons industry committee meeting on Chinese electric vehicle imports, Ma posed pointed questions to retired senior bureaucrat Margaret McCuaig-Johnston that appeared to question reports that the Chinese government imposes forced labour on certain groups.

It is widely understood in the Western world, including Canada , that the Chinese government is conducting serious human rights abuses towards its Uyghur and Turkic Muslim minorities, notably in Xinjiang province. In 2021, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion recognizing the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim groups.

In her opening remarks to the committee, McCuaig-Johnston cited a 2024 report by Human Rights Watch that “dozens of parts in each Chinese EV are made with aluminium from Uyghur forced labour.”

That appeared to irk Ma, who repeatedly asked a bewildered McCuaig-Johnston if she had ever witnessed forced labour in Shenzhen province (where many Chinese auto makers are located) herself.

“Or did you get that from hearsay?” asked the MP for Markham—Unionville.

The retired public servant, a specialist on the Indo-Pacific region, countered that she worked closed with Human Rights Watch, who did witness the abuses.

The 2024 report found that almost on tenth of the world’s aluminium is produced in Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities have perpetrated numerous crimes against humanity as well as subjecting Uyghurs to forced labour.

Ma’s comments immediately raised the ire of other parties on the committee and dominated much of the remaining meeting. The Conservatives, with whom Ma was elected before crossing the floor to the Liberals in December, apologized on Ma’s behalf, much to his irritation.

That evening, Ma released a statement apologizing for his comments and to McCuaig-Johnston.

“Today, during an exchange with a witness at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, I asked questions that inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour,” Ma wrote on social media .

“I condemn forced labour, in all its forms,” he added. “I am proud to support the government’s work to eradicate forced labour from supply chains and enforce Canada’s import prohibition.”

Nowhere in his comments did he speak about reports of forced labour in China specifically.

On Friday, Hodgson suggested Ma’s comments at committee were not reflective of the party’s views.

“Michael has already commented to the press, he said that his views did not reflect the views of the Liberal party. He has apologized for those views, that’s a question you should ask the prime minister,” Hodgson said.

But nowhere in his statement Thursday evening did Ma say his views diverge from those of the Liberal party, leading the Conservatives to call on Carney to share his view on reports of human right violations by China.

“In view of your special responsibility for the conduct of international affairs, your position on the forced labour of Uyghurs in the PRC requires urgent clarification,” Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong wrote in a letter to Carney Friday.

“Do you assess that Uyghur forced labour has and is being used in the PRC? Did you proactively raise the issue of human rights with PRC officials during your recent visit?,” the MP continued.

In an interview, Bloc Québécois MP and vocal advocate for Chinese Uyghurs Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe said Ma’s apology and explanation that he was inquiring about forced labour in another city was “nonsense.”

He said that the components made by reported Uyghur slave labour in Xinjiang do not just stay in the city — they are then sold and used in factories across the country.

“To question that there is forced labour in China, no matter the region, is either a total lack of rigour in the performance of his duties, or he’s trying to pass the PRC off as people who respect human rights. One way or another, it’s not pretty,” said Brunelle-Duceppe.

Mehmet Tohti, a Uyghur and executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, lambasted Ma for his comments and accused the MP of “once again” downplaying the harsh realities of the Muslim minority in China.

“Michael Ma is not representing the interests or values of Canada and Canadians. Instead, he appears to be advancing the core positions of the Chinese Communist Party and contributing to patterns of transnational repression and foreign interference within our democracy,” Tohti wrote on social media Friday.

National Post

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