12.83°C Vancouver

Sep 20, 2023 6:00 PM - The Canadian Press

Investigation into Levi Strauss' ties to forced labor begins

Share On
investigation-into-levi-strauss-ties-to-forced-labor-begins
Levi Strauss denies the allegations, saying they are based on outdated and inaccurate data.(Photo: The Canadian Press)

Canada's corporate ethics watchdog has launched an investigation into allegations that Levi Strauss Canada is working with companies that use forced labour in China.

Sheri Meyerhoffer, the ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, is looking into whether the denim company known for Levi's jeans has supply relationships with Chinese companies that source materials from Uyghur people forced to work in the Xinjiang region.

Meyerhoffer's office is tasked with investigating complaints about possible human-rights abuses in the operations of Canadian garment, mining and oil and gas companies.

Levi Strauss denies the allegations, saying they are based on outdated and inaccurate data.

The company did not make itself available for an initial assessment meeting and did not provide information verifying its response to the allegations, the ombudsperson's office said.

Given the company's limited participation in the complaint process, the watchdog said it may consider whether the company is participating in good faith at a later stage in the process.

That could include making a recommendation to the minister of international trade about withdrawing or denying trade advocacy support to the company.

The allegations stem from a complaint that was made in June 2022 by a coalition of 28 civil society organizations. The organizations initially took their complaint to Levi Strauss in November 2021, and they say they have not received a response.

The complaint cited a March 2020 report from Australia that documented the use of Uyghur labour in Xinjiang, as well as a 2021 report by a professor at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom that linked Levi Strauss to three companies that use or benefit from forced labour.

The United Nations found in 2022 that China committed serious human-rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities that "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity."

Beijing has disputed that report.

In its response to the ombudsperson, Levi Strauss said "to the best of the company's knowledge, it has no commercial relationships with the five suppliers named in the complaint."

As a result, the investigation aims to "assess the reliability of the data" in the reports cited in the complaint.

The ombudsperson also recently announced investigations into Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel.

Levi is the seventh company to be investigated for allegations it uses Uyghur forced labour in its supply chain, and the ombudsperson's office said more assessments will be made public in the coming weeks.

Latest news

bc-rcmp-say-man-impersonated-police-then-called-9-1-1-to-make-report
BCMay 20, 2025

BC RCMP say man impersonated police, then called 9-1-1 to make report

Mounties in Richmond, B.C., say they have arrested a man who they believe impersonated a police officer and conducted a traffic stop, then called 9-1-1 to report his own actions.The RCMP say they received a report around 1 p.m. on Sunday from a man who said he was pulled over by a driver in a Ford Mustang equipped with red and blue police lights.Police say the complainant said the Mustang driver was wearing a police badge lanyard and asked for his driver's licence, but because he suspected the man was not an officer, he drove away and reported the incident.RCMP say the suspect also later calle
vancouver-island-university-students-make-worlds-largest-nanaimo-bar
BCMay 20, 2025

Vancouver Island University students make world's largest Nanaimo bar

Students at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C., assembled the world's largest Nanaimo bar.The sweet treat was unveiled to the public at noon on Saturday, and it is 21.3 meters long, 0.9 meters wide and weighs nearly 500 kilograms.Aron Weber, chair of the professional baking and pastry arts program with VIU, says students got the idea a few years ago when they were brainstorming ways to generate publicity and excitement for a business.Weber says they looked up world records and found that the largest Nanaimo bar was made by a family in Ontario, and considering the B.C. city has so muc
woman-found-in-stanley-park-bathroom-after-violent-sex-assault-man-arrested-nearby
CanadaMay 20, 2025

Woman found in Stanley Park bathroom after violent sex assault, man arrested nearby

Vancouver police have arrested a man after officers discovered a woman who had been violently sexually assaulted and robbed in a bathroom in Stanley Park. Police say the attack happened on Monday at about 11 a.m.They say a witness reported seeing a suspicious male enter the women's changing room near the Second Beach pool. Officers who arrived at the scene found the female victim,aged in her 40s, before locating a suspect nearby and arresting him. A 35-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences including assault by choking, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon and robb
one-person-dead-after-collapse-at-construction-site-north-of-montreal
CanadaMay 20, 2025

One person dead after collapse at construction site north of Montreal

Police say one person is dead after a structure at a construction site collapsed north of Montreal.The construction site is located in Blainville, Que. Police say they received a call around 11 a.m. after the underground walls collapsed of a commercial building under construction. Two people were injured _ one person was taken to hospital with a leg injury and another was treated on site. Police say a mobile construction office fell into a large hole that had been excavated, and that three cars also fell inside. They did not release additional information about the person who died.
bhagwant-mann-government-appoints-chairmen-and-directors-in-several-departments
IndiaMay 20, 2025

Bhagwant Mann government appoints chairmen and directors in several departments

The Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab is under the attack of the opposition parties after appointing chairmen and members of several departments, corporations and boards. The opposition parties allege that many of them are non-Punjabis, who previously worked for the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. In particular, questions have been raised on the appointment of two names, one of which is Reena Gupta, who has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the other is Deepak Chauhan, who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Punjab Industrial Development Board. Ac

Related News