Canada91裸聊视频檚 border agency says it has detained about 50 shipments of cargo over suspicions they were products of forced labour under rules introduced in 2020 91裸聊视频� but only one was eventually determined to be in breach of the ban.

The Canada Border Services Agency provided the figures after being asked about a lawsuit against it by a Victoria solar firm, which says a shipment of solar panels worth more than $5 million was wrongfully detained over false suspicions they were made with forced labour in China.

Charge Solar Renewables Inc. says in a Federal Court lawsuit that the months it took to convince the agency to release the panels irreparably damaged its market position.

The CBSA declined an interview request, but said in an emailed statement that the 91裸聊视频渋mport prohibition respecting forced labour came into force in July 2020,91裸聊视频� and border agents classify goods on a 91裸聊视频渃ase-by-case basis.91裸聊视频�

It said that since 2021, 91裸聊视频渁pproximately 50 shipments have been intercepted and assessed.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淎fter an extensive review of detailed supply chain information provided by importers, one shipment was intercepted and determined to be produced by means of forced labour and prohibited entry into the Canadian marketplace. The remaining shipments were permitted entry,91裸聊视频� it said.

One other shipment was abandoned at the Canadian border by the importer.

It said it was prohibited from naming any of the companies involved in the detentions, and it would not comment on the specifics of Charge Solar91裸聊视频檚 lawsuit, filed this month in Vancouver.

The lawsuit says Charge Solar had a supply contract with Chinese firm LONGi Green Energy Technology, and the panels were shipped to Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary between February and April 2024.

It says 47 containers were detained by border agents who told the firm it needed to show the panels worth more than US$3.8 million weren91裸聊视频檛 prohibited as goods made with prison or forced labour.

The company says it provided 91裸聊视频渢housands of pages91裸聊视频� of information to the agency about the manufacture of the panels, including affidavits from those along the supply chain attesting they weren91裸聊视频檛 made with forced labour.

The company, which did not respond to a request for comment, says in the lawsuit that it 91裸聊视频渟trongly opposed the detention of the goods.91裸聊视频�

The lawsuit says the holdup resulted in customers cancelling orders, while the agency 91裸聊视频渢ook an unprecedented step requiring Charge Solar to explain solar module supply chains.91裸聊视频�

It says similar or identical goods, some from the same supplier, that were imported by competitors weren91裸聊视频檛 subject to investigations or detentions, and as a result Charge Solar91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渄ominant market share 91裸聊视频� was significantly and irreparably eroded.91裸聊视频�

The Charge Solar shipments were eventually released in June and July.

Charge Solar says the deal with LONGi involved products 91裸聊视频渙riginating in Vietnam.91裸聊视频�

However, forced labour researchers say LONGi has a 91裸聊视频渧ery high91裸聊视频� risk of exposure to forced labour in its products due to sourcing from China91裸聊视频檚 Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Researchers at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University in Britain said LONGi was 91裸聊视频渢he largest global supplier of solar wafers91裸聊视频� to companies that produce solar cells.

The researchers concluded the firm91裸聊视频檚 sourcing from Xinjiang in China91裸聊视频檚 west meant that its risk of exposure to forced labour in their products was 91裸聊视频渢ransferred to all users91裸聊视频� of its solar panels.

In March 2023, Global Affairs Canada issued an advisory to Canadian firms doing business in Xinjiang 91裸聊视频渢o bring attention to human rights violations in China affecting Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.91裸聊视频�

The Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic minority who have been the subject of 91裸聊视频渟erious human rights violations91裸聊视频� by China, according to a 2022 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Global Affairs issued the advisory 91裸聊视频渢o help Canadian firms and stakeholders understand the legal and reputational risks posed to companies whose supply chains engage with entities possibly implicated in forced labour.91裸聊视频�

William Pellerin, an international trade lawyer in Ottawa, said Canadian enforcement action against goods suspected of involving forced labour has paled in comparison with efforts in the United States.

The U.S. Uyghur Forced Labour Protection Act made it easier to take action on goods from Xinjiang believed to be made with forced labour, he said.

Much of the world91裸聊视频檚 polysilicon used in the production of solar panels comes from Xinjiang, Pellerin said.

91裸聊视频淭hat region really is very important to global supply chains across multiple sectors,91裸聊视频� he said.

He said the United States had detained 91裸聊视频渂illions91裸聊视频� worth of goods believed to involve forced labour, including 91裸聊视频渧ery large volumes of Chinese solar products.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 think it behooves any party that is bringing in solar material from China to be extremely diligent in its supply chain and to ask all of the questions to make sure it has a full understanding going as far back as possible upstream into the input materials to make sure that your supply chain is as clean as possible,91裸聊视频� he said.

Pellerin said he couldn91裸聊视频檛 comment on the specifics of Charge Solar91裸聊视频檚 case, but any action against a government faces a 91裸聊视频渧ery high bar.91裸聊视频�

He said border guards and law enforcers had a 91裸聊视频渁 vast amount of discretion91裸聊视频� carrying out their duties.

LONGi did not respond to an emailed request for comment on the detention.