The Trudeau Liberals must no longer invest pension dues into companies that abuse human rights or threaten national security, according to a Commons Committee.

A Commons special committee on China tabled a report that questioned holdings in several tech firms by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The report states that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. should face censure for questionable practices in China.

The report, titled The Exposure Of Canadian Investment Funds To Human Rights Violations In The People’s Republic Of China, cites Sam Goodman, director of policy and advocacy at Hong Kong Watch, who contends Canada could benefit from “a road map of the companies to avoid.” 

As of writing, the CPP investment board continues to invest in companies linked to slave labour. 

They include $4 million in Longi Green Energy Technology Company Limited. Pensioners also invested $7 million into a Communist Party film studio censured by Parliament for crimes against humanity, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

Other questionable holdings include Morgan Stanley Capital International’s Index, the China Index and Emerging Markets Index, according to Benefits Canada.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Investment Board called China a “good investment” despite ongoing allegations of foreign interference, an intimidation campaign against a member of Parliament, and many human rights atrocities.https://t.co/qoS9pwPXLf

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) May 12, 2023

Since December 13, the special committee has urged the Trudeau Liberals to take action on disqualifying investments into unethical Chinese companies. 

But there are no legislative or regulatory provisions that would prevent investments in companies that are complicit or linked to human rights abuses, said the report. 

It noted the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act tells the investment board to prioritize a "maximum rate of return" on all investments, regardless of ethics.

Michel Leduc, the plan’s global head of communications, earlier testified at the Commons special committee that "human rights are increasingly an investment consideration."

"We are exceedingly cautious," he said. Yet the board lauded their holdings into Chinese firms as "good investments."

WATCH: Rebel News reporter @westcdnfirst asked Premier Danielle Smith how an Alberta Pension Plan would avoid investment into sanctioned companies and those alleged to have unethical business practices.

She said those discussions will take place at a later date. pic.twitter.com/axtSqnUGkQ

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) November 4, 2023

Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam University, contended that this is the result of pension boards not investigating each and every investment.

"Investing in companies operating in the Uyghur Region is a serious ethical risk," she testified before the parliamentary committee. "But it’s also a financial risk since these companies have been targeted by government sanctions and international advocacy campaigns."

"No one should be passively invested in the oppression of the Uyghurs," Murphy told MPs.

The special committee made a number of recommendations to quell these investments, including the compiling of a blacklist for future investments. 

The report also recommended greater cooperation with the U.S. and other allies to hold human rights abuses as a larger consideration in investments. It also proposed legislative amendments to crackdown further on slave labour and the removal of their goods from Canadian supply chains.