(Ottawa) Supermax Healthcare Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of a Malaysian company suspected of using forced labor in the manufacture of personal protective equipment, has landed more than half a billion dollars in contracts from the federal government and the government of Quebec since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has learned Press.
Supermax Healthcare Canada Inc., which has a storefront in Longueuil, has secured the equivalent of $ 221 million in federal government contracts for the supply of disposable gloves.
To this sum, we must also add 330 million in contracts granted by the Government of Quebec for the purchase of personal protective equipment since the start of the pandemic, in March 2020, confirmed the Government Acquisition Center (CAG). .
Malaysian company Supermax Corp. was indicted last month by the United States and the United Kingdom on suspicion of using forced labor in the manufacture of its products.
The suspicions are such that US Customs and Border Protection last month issued a warrant to seize disposable gloves manufactured by Supermax Corp. and its subsidiaries at all points of entry into the United States. In Britain, a parliamentary committee recently launched an investigation, at the initiative of Labor MPs, following the announcement of the US authorities’ decision.
Parliamentary inquiry called for in Ottawa
In Ottawa, the opposition parties are in turn calling for a parliamentary inquiry to shed light on the Trudeau government’s decision to grant the equivalent of $ 221 million in contracts to the Canadian subsidiary of a Malaysian company targeted by allegations of a form of modern slavery, namely forced labor.
The Conservative Party, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois believe that such an investigation is necessary, since the Department of Public Services and Procurement, responsible for awarding contracts, had been informed in January that Supermax Corp. was the subject of such allegations.
The Department carried out verifications at the beginning of the year with Supermax Healthcare Canada inc. uniquely. But Ottawa decided to suspend future deliveries only after US authorities announced a mandate to seize products from Supermax Corp. and its subsidiaries in October.
“You can’t go around corners when it comes to human rights. It’s scandalous, ”protested the deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice.
There was obviously willful blindness on the part of the federal government in this matter since the Department was informed of the allegations in January. A parliamentary inquiry is needed.
Pierre Paul-Hus, Member of the Conservative Party of Canada
“The pandemic does not in any way justify awarding major contracts to a company that does not respect human rights. It is forbidden to import goods resulting from forced labor and there is no justification for the government not respecting its own rules, ”said MP Julie Vignola, Bloc Québécois spokesperson for procurement.
Supermax Corp. hired an independent firm to conduct a full audit of its operations in accordance with the International Labor Organization’s forced labor indicators. The report of this audit is expected in mid-November.
Situation taken “very seriously” in Quebec
In Quebec, in the office of the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, we are sure to take the “situation very seriously”. The Government Acquisition Center confirmed to Press have done business with Supermax Healthcare Canada for the purchase of personal protective equipment for a total amount of 330 million since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Quebec ensures that it is not currently bound by any active contract with Supermax Healthcare Canada .
“Now, the Government Acquisition Center has requested a legal opinion in order to find out all the legal levers against companies targeted by this kind of allegation,” explained Minister LeBel’s office. The CAG said it was informed of these allegations on October 20.
“We are always open to improving our contractual processes in the light of this new information,” it was added. For the time being, “during the contracting and procurement processes, the CAG requires that the contracting companies hold all the certificates, standards, and accreditations issued by the authorities concerned, such as Health Canada,” he explains. we.
The NDP and the Conservatives are adding more
According to MEP Alexandre Boulerice, it is obvious that the federal government has not done its homework on this issue.
You can’t just do summary checks. The excuse of the pandemic, we can not take it all out, especially when we talk about modern slavery.
Alexandre Boulerice, Member of the New Democratic Party
Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus argued that the Canadian government could have requested a comprehensive report from its ambassador stationed in Malaysia or in a neighboring country on the situation of workers’ rights as soon as it was seized of the allegations.
“What shocks me is that it was ultimately the United States that forced the Canadian government to act. We are following American decisions. Several questions remain unanswered, ”he lamented.
Canada has adopted a policy prohibiting the importation of goods produced by forced labor. This policy has even been incorporated into the Canada – United States – Mexico Accord Implementation Act (CUSMA), the new free trade agreement negotiated by the three countries when Donald Trump’s administration was in power in Washington. This law received royal assent on March 12, 2020.
In a press release, Supermax Healthcare Canada Inc. claimed to have offered “its full cooperation” to the Department of Public Services and Procurement in order to shed light on the allegations which led to the decision of the US agency US Customs and Border Protection to suspend the importation of disposable gloves from its partner Supermax Corp. and some of its subsidiaries.