1st Parliament, 4th Session, 1st Sitting

The first sitting of the fourth session of the third Parliament saw no bills or motion passed.

## Statements By Members

### Simon Mezo

> I'd just like to  Condemn, the Ontario government's decision to not administer paid sick leaves amid this third wave of the pandemic.  And yeah, I hope that something can be done to help Ontarian workers.
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### Brentan Lam

#### **China and Forced Labour**

> All right. Thank you. so, my first statement is about The Uighurs in China and and the solar panel industry. So, in the wilderness of the Gobi desert sit two factories that churn the vast quantities of polysilicon, the raw material in billions of solar panels all over the world. It's a four hour drive from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang at the center of China's crackdown of the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Almost no one outside of China knows what goes on inside these factories or two others elsewhere in xinjiang that together produce nearly half the world's polysilicon. As trade tensions between Western countries and China over its alleged human abuses, we, as champions for green energy, are facing a ugly truth. The solar industry is heavily reliant on possible blood silicon. With national leaders committing to carbon neutral futures, a new record for solar panel installations is expected this year. In other words, embrace a green future, but you have no way of knowing if you're purchasing products made by forced labor. Manufacturers, sometimes try to send independent auditors to xinjiang to look at what labor practices supplies are using but to no avail, as the Chinese government, tightly controls access to the region. China says its labor transfer program is an effort to help poor ethnic minorities find better employment. But we all know that it is a part of a long history of using coercive State structures to oppress China's Muslims strip them of their culture and separate them from the families. The dilemma we find ourselves in is extremely tricky. Extricating the solar industry from Xinjiang, it's extremely difficult, given the way the supply chains are structured, and China's near monopoly on production. Trying to develop other Supply chains that does not rely on Xinjiang is costly and will likely delay our Global rollout of solar power infrastructure,which is key in combating global warming. Now that the solar panels on the rooftops of millions of buildings may or may not be the product of slavery and forced labor compounded by the fact that China's dominance of the supply of policy can is set to only. But increase even more, we find our shows at a crossroads. Do we completely detach ourselves from them or do we continue to push our Push for our own development interests at the expense of forced labor and the slavery of millions? The Prime Minister cannot dither any more. You need to give us a honest, clear answer and act on it rather than just talking about it. And members of this house, I'm sure we'll always act on conscience and find the right answer and take the right decisions. Thank you.
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#### **Conflict in Northern Ethiopia**

> The second statement I'd like to make is about the conflict integrate in Northern Ethiopia. I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to raise the very important issue of the conflict. Integrity. A mountainous region in the north of Ethiopia. But since devastated the region since November last year, The conflict started in retaliation to an attack on the Northern government Northern command by the degrade people's Liberation Front. The Ethiopian government cut off all roads and Communications and send their troops to besiege Mekelle. Since November more than 60,000 degree in people have led in the refugee camps in Sudan, some are reported to have their exit routes blocked by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces about 1 million people have been internal internally displayed and 4.5 million people have become foot insecure. And looting and vandalization of essential health facilities is rampant. Massacres have occurred in a handful of cities. An estimated 50,000 civilians have been killed and there's evidence that 10,000 women have been raped. Let that sink in, 10,000. The continuing human rights abuses should be classified as catastrophic. And I think the government should do more to help - to help the Tigrayans and to end this heinous human rights abuses happening there. And there's no indication that either the Ethiopian or Eritrean governments are taking any steps to reduce the violence of back off. So I think that we, as part of the International Community, should join the United States - to join the European Union and Germany to impose stronger sanctions on those who have abused human rights. The effects of this war will continue long after the shells and mortars have stopped falling, and deadly silence will befall cities where civilians were ruthlessly murdered. Yet it is still not too late for the Canadian government to avert yet more destruction and provide justice for the survivors for the survivors of the massacres and sexual violence. It will require much more than words and that is what I joined, by every Canadian, hope the Prime Minister will commit today. Thank you. That's all I have to say today.
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## Members Present

### **Government**

Minister of Health and Indigenous Services