An inquiry into alleged violations of forced Uighur labor in China within their supply chains is currently being conducted by a Canadian government agency against Nike Canada Corp., the Canadian division of Nike, and the business Dynasty Gold Corp. Investigations of the two businesses have begun, according to Sheri Meyerhoffer, the head of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, a government organization established in 2019 to examine accusations of human rights breaches by Canadian corporations doing business abroad.

The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project was one of 28 civil rights organizations that filed more than 20 complaints with Meyerhoffer’s office about forced labor practices. In the first accusation, Nike Canada Corp. is charged with using six Chinese suppliers that have been linked to forced Uyghur labor by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). Additionally, 80,000 Uighurs were relocated to labor in industries around China, with some of them coming directly from the prison camps itself, according to a 2020 report.

What is Nike’s connection to China’s forced labor?

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which claims the corporation has connections to Chinese businesses involved in forced Uighur labor, is the main source of information used to support the charges made against Nike Canada Corp. Meyerhoffer’s office chose to carry on the investigation despite Nike’s assurances that it is no longer associated with these businesses and the disclosure of information regarding its due diligence procedures. Nike has repeatedly refuted accusations that it profits from forced labor, emphasizing that it does not buy goods from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and getting its suppliers to vouch that the company does not use textiles or yarn from there.

Meyerhoffer claimed, however, that he had already been attempting in vain for a year to speak with representatives of Nike Canada Corp. The parent company, American Nike, turned down a meeting request in early 2023, stating only that it was “committed to ethical and responsible manufacturing and we uphold international labor standards.” Nike further refuted the claims in a subsequent statement, claiming that it did not purchase goods from the manufacturers that were the subject of the allegations—information that did not accord with the Australian body’s findings, which prompted the investigation.