Canada Follows Suit, Terminates PPE Contracts With Malaysian Companies

The Malaysian ghost of forced labor follows Canada too; so much so that the Maple country has now cancelled some contracts to prevent itself from being pulled into human rights issues.

It is now confirmed that the Public Services and Procurement Canada has finally 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.

A whooping $222 million were being invested into procuring these gloves that were to equip healthcare workers in Canada. This was a part of an $8billion push led by the former procurement minister Anita Anand. It is worth mentioning that the Canadian action has come after the US had initiated there’s in October led by the US Customs and Border Protection.

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 shared with various media agencies confirming, that indeed, Canada's contract with the Malaysian supplier had ended.

Malaysia provides an estimated two-thirds of the world's supply of disposable medical gloves. (China is the other major global manufacturer.) This is not the first time that Malaysia has been pulled up for something like this. Labor exploitation has been rampant in Malaysia.

Strangely, 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.