Floor-crossing Liberal MP Michael Ma has cast doubt on reports of forced labor in China, suggesting they are based on hearsay.
Liberal MP Michael Ma downplays reports on China using forced labour | Toronto Sun | Lorrie Goldstein:
March 26, 2026 - "Liberal floor-crosser Michael Ma downplayed well-established reports of forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region on Thursday in an apparent attempt to discredit an expert witness on the topic at a House of Commons industry committee meeting. Ma launched a series of rapid-fire questions at Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa and recognized as one of Canada’s preeminent commentators on Canada-China relations, who was testifying at the committee.
“'Have you witnessed forced labour in Xinjiang? Have you witnessed forced labour? Just a short answer — have you witnessed forced labour in Xinjiang, yes or no?' Ma demanded.... McCuaig-Johnston was clearly taken aback by Ma’s aggressive questioning as she testified that China uses slave labour from its minority Uyghur population in Xinjiang province in the production of Chinese-made vehicles.
"Ma asked her if she was relying on 'hearsay' in giving her testimony, prompting angry responses from Conservative MPs on the committee who accused him of ignoring numerous expert reports on forced labour and other human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Ma countered that he was asking legitimate questions and not expressing any opinion on Chinese labour practices. Asked later by a CBC reporter whether he believed there was forced labour in China, Ma said it goes on all over the world, but without citing China when he was asked about that specifically....
"Ma was elected as a Conservative in the riding of Markham—Unionville in the April 2025 federal election before crossing the floor to the Liberals in December. He accompanied Prime Minister Mark Carney on his trip to China in January to forge a 'new strategic partnership' with China. The Commons industry committee is examining Carney’s deal that eliminated Ottawa’s 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles and initially allow up to 49,000 Chinese-made EVs into the Canadian market, with a “most-favoured-nation” tariff rate of 6.1%....
"UPDATE: Ma later apologized for his remarks, saying he 'inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour.' He said he was talking about the Chinese city of Shenzhen, not Xinjiang province, where China has been widely accused of using its minority Uyghur population as forced labour."
Read more: https://torontosun.com/news/national/liberal-mp-michael-ma-china-forced-labour
China forced labour 'hearsay,' Liberal MP suggests | Canadian Press | March 26, 2026:
Chinese Media Amplify MP Michael Ma’s Dismissal of CCP’s Forced Labour | Epoch Times | Olivia Gomm:
March 27, 2026 - "Media in China are promoting Liberal MP Michael Ma’s skepticism about the existence of forced labour in China following an exchange with a China expert at a parliamentary committee meeting this week.... Chinese media outlet Guancha published an article on March 27 about Ma’s remarks, saying 'Canadian scholars hype "forced labour"' in the article’s headline. The article, which was widely cross-published on multiple Chinese-language platforms, said McCuaig-Johnston’s response to Ma 'caused an uproar'....
"Ma asked McCuaig-Johnston: “Your claim about forced labour in Shenzhen — have you witnessed this yourself? Have you been there ever?'... Responding to Ma’s questioning, McCuaig-Johnston said she has been to China 'many times' over nearly 50 years. Ma cut her response short and asked again whether she has witnessed the forced labour herself, to which she responded that she works 'closely with Human Rights Watch where researchers did witness it'.... The Guancha article said McCuaig-Johnston 'euphemistically admitted that she has not personally witnessed the so-called "forced labor" and is indeed hearsay.' It also said accusations of forced labour in China 'have always been absurd lies' that are 'based on ideological bias” and have been used to “smear China.”
"Conservative MP and industry critic Raquel Dancho ... commented on the Chinese media report, saying that whatever Ma’s intentions were, 'his questions parroted implicitly the CCP-certified position—that controversy around forced labour is manufactured.' 'Chinese state media used those questions to push their propaganda,' Dancho said in a post on X. 'Despite his excuse, this was the outcome'....
"Canada sanctioned Chinese officials in December 2024 for persecuting Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, and Tibetans, noting that these groups are subject to various forms of suppression by the Chinese regime, including arbitrary detention and forced labour. The House of Commons voted unanimously in favour of a motion tabled by the Conservatives in February 2021 that declared Beijing’s persecution against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China a genocide. All opposition MPs and non-cabinet Liberal MPs supported the motion, while cabinet abstained from the vote."
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