Lawmakers call on the Canadian Government to introduce ESG regulations to stop Canadian pension fund investments in companies linked to Xinjiang

This week, a group of prominent parliamentarians and former parliamentarians have written to the Minister of Finance and President of the Pension Board to raise their concern over Canadian pension investments in Chinese companies subject to US sanctions/investment bans for their links to Xinjiang and investments in Alibaba and Tencent.

The letter follows research by Hong Kong Watch on ESG/human rights, which found that a number of Canada’s largest pension funds had investments in companies linked to the camps in Xinjiang, this includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation which in 2020 had investments in a number of companies on the US sanctions list/subject to US investment bans.

The group of prominent parliamentarians and former parliamentarians, which includes Hong Kong Watch Patrons Senator Leo Housakos, James Bezan MP, former MP David Kilgour, and former Senator Jim Munson, as well as Tom Kmiec MP, Warren Steinley MP, Cathay Wagantall MP, Dan Muys MP, and former Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, called on the Minister of Finance to bring forward promised Modern Day Slavery legislation. The letter states that this should include new regulations that prevent the investment of Canadian pensions in Chinese companies exposed to gross human rights violations.

The full letter can be read here.

Commenting on the letter, Hong Kong Watch patron and signatory, Senator Leo Housakos, said:

“I have been saying for quite some time - Canada and Canadians need to detach from our reliance on China, whether it’s purchasing cheap goods made through slave labour or it’s investment of our pension funds. We need to get over this notion that we need them more than they need us; and start using the levers available to us to hold the communist regime accountable for their atrocious actions.”

Hong Kong Watch’s Senior Policy Advisor, Sam Goodman, said:

“It is clear that Canadian lawmakers continue to be alarmed by the extent to which the largest pension funds in Canada are investing in Chinese companies exposed to the gross human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang and the rest of China.

The Government needs to use this parliament to introduce ESG regulations and financial disclosure frameworks that prevents Canadians pensions being invested in companies linked to the concentration camps in Xinjiang.”

多名加拿大國會議員聯署呼籲政府立法

防止加拿大退休基金投資侵害人權的中國公司

今個星期，多位知名的議員和前議員致函財政部長和退休金委員會主席，表達他們對加拿大退休基金投資在因與新疆有聯繫而受到美國制裁或頒佈投資禁令的中國公司、阿里巴巴和騰訊的擔憂。

這封信函是在香港監察發表有關環境、社會及管治和人權的研究報告後發出的。香港監察的研究發現一些加拿大最大的退休基金投資在與新疆集中營相關的公司，當中包括魁北克儲蓄投資集團(Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec)，以及在2020年投資在多間在美國制裁名單上或受美國投資禁令約束的公司的英屬哥倫比亞省投資管理公司(British Columbia Investment Management Corporation)。

這群著名的議員和前議員，包括香港監察贊助人、參議員Leo Housakos、國會議員James Bezan MP、前國會議員 Hon. David Kilgour JD和前參議員Jim Munson ，以及國會議員Tom Kmiec、國會議員Warren Steinley MP、國會議員Cathay Wagantall MP 、國會議員Dan Muys MP和前參議員Thanh Hai Ngo，呼籲財政部長提出曾承諾的現代奴隸制立法。信中說這立法應該包括新的法規，防止加拿大退休基金投資於侵犯人權的中國公司。

按此閱讀信件原文。

在評論信件時，香港監察贊助人和有份簽署信件的參議員Leo Housakos表示︰

「我已經說了好一段時間了—加拿大和加拿大人需要擺脫對中國的依賴，無論是購買由如同奴隸的工人製造的廉價商品，還是我們的退休基金的投資項目。我們需要克服『我們需要他們多於他們需要我們』這種觀念，並開始採取行動，追究中國共產黨政權就其殘暴行為負上責任。」

香港監察資深政策顧問Sam Goodman表示︰

「很明顯地，對於加拿大最大的退休基金在與新疆和中國其他地區嚴重侵犯人權的行為相關的中國公司的投資規模，加拿大議員繼續保持警覺。

政府需要在今屆議會引入環境、社會及管治法規和財務披露框架，防止加拿大人的退休老金投資在與新疆集中營有關的企業。」