Public Services and Procurement Canada has terminated two supply contracts with Supermax Healthcare Canada following allegations that the nitrile gloves it manufactured in Malaysia for use by Canadian health care workers were made with forced labour.
These contracts for synthetic rubber medical gloves, worth over $222 million, were part of the $8 billion push led by former procurement minister Anita Anand to equip Canadian health care workers with the personal protective equipment they needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, the department announced that deliveries from this company were being held until the government could review the results of an independent audit of Supermax’s operations.
“Based on the seriousness of the allegations and expected timelines for the final audit results, the Government of Canada has decided, and Supermax Healthcare Canada has agreed, to terminate by mutual consent the two existing contracts for the supply of nitrile gloves,” the department told CBC News in an email Tuesday, confirming an earlier report from Reuters that Canada’s contract with the Malaysian supplier had ended.
American officials banned shipments of gloves manufactured by Supermax Corporation Bhd. and its subsidiaries based on information that “reasonably indicates their use of forced labor in manufacturing operations.” The U.S. investigation identified 10 of the International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labour.
Malaysia provides an estimated two-thirds of the world’s supply of disposable medical gloves. (China is the other major global manufacturer.)
Following public allegations last January of human rights violations and the possible abuse of migrant workers among Malaysian glove makers, Canadian officials asked six suppliers — including Supermax — more questions about how their workers were being treated.
Based on the company’s initial response, Canada maintained its contracts with Supermax at first, but following the American move it sought further assurances that it wasn’t using forced labour. The company hired an independent firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of its operations.
“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that it does not do business with companies that employ unethical practices, either directly or within their supply chains,” the department said in November as it put further Supermax deliveries on hold.
Taking compliance issue ‘seriously’: Supermax
PSPC has yet to respond to follow-up questions from CBC News about how many gloves were delivered before deliveries were put on hold, or what kind of checks the government made on the company’s employment standards before signing the contracts.
In a statement earlier this month, Supermax said it takes compliance “seriously” and has been working to meet ILO standards since 2019. It laid out a new foreign worker management policy and other changes to its human resources practices that it said had been in effect since November 2021.
The competitive global procurement race for PPE at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020 was described as “the wild West.”
British solicitor Nusrat Uddin said that’s no excuse for countries to turn a blind eye to labour conditions she compares to “modern slavery.”
Governments were warned, lawyer says
Her firm, Wilson Solicitors, is starting legal action against the U.K. government, calling for a judicial review of the decision by its National Health Service to continue to buy gloves from Supermax, notwithstanding its own pledges to crack down on forced labour.
Uddin told CBC News Tuesday that governments knew as far back as 2013 or 2014 that the medical glove industry in Malaysia was highly problematic and workers were at high risk of being abused.
She commended U.S. officials for taking the allegations seriously and working with groups on the ground to investigate how the migrant labourers that make these gloves are treated.
Health care workers in Edmonton in full PPE gear. (Massimo Pinca/Reuters)
Most come from Bangladesh and Nepal, she said, and are heavily indebted from paying problematic “recruitment fees” to their employers. Their families depend on them to send income home, but they are economically dependent on their employer.
Their work days are long and hot; Malaysia only recently changed its law to prohibit working seven days a week. Uddin said she’s seen evidence of workers housed in row upon row of bunks in overcrowded accommodations.
She said the workers’ movements were restricted during the pandemic. Some had their passports taken away and were unable to leave their employer’s premises for up to 18 months, she added.
“It’s an extremely complex and sophisticated system of controlling the workers and exploiting them for the billions of profits that are being made off their backs in this global pandemic,” she said.
U.S. leading push to crack down
Americans led on this issue by banning gloves from five Malaysian manufacturers, Uddin said. Previously, due diligence audits only operated on a surface level.
When buyers from rich countries look deeper and start cutting companies off one by one, Uddin said, it becomes possible to start changing industry norms.
The U.S. now is pushing close trading partners like Canada to crack down on forced labour.
Whether it resulted from American pressure or not, Canadians should be proud to see these contracts terminated, she said.
“We can’t simply protect our own people by exploiting other people,” she said. “The world is becoming smaller. We’re really understanding how many of our products — whether it’s in our supermarkets … our clothes … now our medical supplies — are really tainted with the exploitation of others around the world.”
Canada only finalized changes to its procurement code of conduct to prohibit the use of forced labour by government suppliers a few months ago.
But the use of forced labour is prohibited in several of Canada’s current trade treaties — including the revised North American trade deal that Canada works with U.S. and Mexican officials to enforce.
Canada struggling with enforcement
The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) also bans the use of forced labour. Malaysia was one of its original signatories but it has yet to ratify and implement the agreement. Canada ratified the CPTPP in 2018 and was one of the original six partners when it entered into force at the end of that year.
Canada’s currently in trade negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, (ASEAN), of which Malaysia is a member. Trade Minister Mary Ng calls Canada’s trade deals “high-standard agreements” when it comes to things like protecting workers’ rights, suggesting that any deal ASEAN reaches with Canada would include a labour chapter that reflects Canada’s progressive values.
The allegations against this glove manufacturer suggest some ASEAN partners may struggle to match and enforce ambitious standards.
But Canada is also struggling to keep products made with forced labour out of its domestic market.
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan’s mandate letter asks him to introduce legislation to remove forced labour from Canadian supply chains and ensure Canadian companies do not contribute to human rights abuses abroad.
HOUSTON (AP) — Brian White scored in the second half to rally the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
Houston (12-9-8) took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Ezequiel Ponce scored on a penalty kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Ponce’s third goal this season came after Amine Bassi drew a foul on Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Vite following a video review. It was Ponce’s sixth career appearance, all starts.
Vancouver (13-8-7) scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute when White, who entered in the 60th, used assists from Fafá Picault and Ryan Gauld to find the net for the 13th time this season. Picault’s assist was his fifth, matching his career high for a single season. Gauld’s assist gives him a career-best 13 on the season.
Yohei Takaoka, who had clean sheets in his last three starts, finished with one save in goal for the Whitecaps.
Steve Clark saved three shots for the Dynamo, who remain one point behind Vancouver in the Western Conference standings.
Houston, which was coming off a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, has allowed just 33 goals this season.
Vancouver — 6-2-2 in its last 10 matches overall — leads the all-time series 10-9-6.
The Whitecaps remain on the road to play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday. The Dynamo travel to play Austin FC on Saturday.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Pearce and Nathan Saliba scored in the second half — the first goals of their careers — and CF Montreal rallied for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.
“In the second half, the guys came out a little more ambitious and above all, more connected,” Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois said. “It was a great second half of resilience and fighting spirit. Nathan and Sam were impressive.
“Impressive in covering the gaps and compensating for the teammates, and the individual defending – yes it’s true, it is a lot of weight on their shoulders, but that’s the job.”
New England (8-16-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on Bobby Wood’s third goal of the season. Teenage defender Peyton Miller notched his first assist in his fourth career start and sixth appearance and Carles Gil picked up his ninth of the season. Peyton, at 16 years, 315 days old, is the eighth youngest player in league history to record his first assist.
The Revolution took a two-goal lead in the 35th minute and held it through halftime when 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic took a pass from Gil and scored his third goal of the season and career in his first full season in the league. It was the 73rd regular-season assist in Gil’s career, tying him with Steve Ralston for the most in club history.
Montreal (7-12-10) pulled within a goal in the 54th minute when Pearce scored off a free kick after defender George Campbell drew a foul on New England’s Mark-Anthony Kaye. It was the first goal for Pearce in his third career start and fourth appearance.
“Playoffs are the goal. Maybe it wasn’t in the best form, but in the end, we are picking up a point,” Pearce said. “We came into this game confident, ready to play our own game. Everyone tries their best, whenever the players are called on, we are always ready, and we are always giving it our best.”
Montreal scored the equalizer in the 68th minute on the first career goal by Saliba, a 20-year-old midfielder. Saliba has made 34 starts and 48 appearances with Montreal in his two seasons in the league. Campbell snagged his second assist of the season and the third of his career.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s a goal I’ve been waiting for a long time. I’m extremely happy that I was able to score it and that it can help the team take this important point on the road,” Saliba said. “Pearce’s first goal gave us really good momentum and we kept up the pressure to go for a second goal. We got more solid defensively, and we came back ready after halftime, to push for these 3 points.”
Aljaz Ivacic finished with four saves in goal for the Revolution.
Jonathan Sirois stopped four shots for Montreal.
New England beat Montreal 5-0 on the road on Aug. 24.
New England leads the all-time series 16-13-4. Montreal improves to 5-8-2 on the road against the Revs.
The Revolution travel to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday. Montreal returns home to host the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by 10 games with 10 to play.
García launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.
“He swings hard, he swings a lot,” Francis said of García. “I guess the velo was dropping during that time.”
Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.
The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.
“Throughout the week, you’ve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,” Bradford said. “Then you flush it.”
Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradford’s left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirk’s hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
Spencer Horwitz’s double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradford’s “deceptive fastball.”
“When you’re throwing 89, 92, you’ve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,” Schneider said. “Kept us off balance.”
Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangers’ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.
Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.
“I don’t even want to get complacent, on cruise control,” Francis said. “Just keep attacking.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back x-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. … INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.
UP NEXT
Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.
