Canada’s corporate ethics watchdog launched separate investigations into Nike Canada (NKE.N) and Dynasty Gold (DYG.V) to probe allegations that they used or benefited from forced Uyghur labor in their supply chains and operations in China.

The investigations were launched on Tuesday after an initial assessment of complaints about the overseas operations of 13 Canadian companies filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organizations in June 2022.

A report by the U.N. human rights chief said last year that China’s treatment of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in Xinjiang, in the country’s far west, may constitute crimes against humanity.

Beijing has repeatedly denied the use of forced labour against Uyghurs, a position the Chinese embassy in Ottawa reiterated in a statement on Tuesday that added the rights of workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang were duly protected.

This is the first such investigation launched by the Canadian agency since it launched its complaint mechanism in 2021. No other Canadian agencies in the past has launched investigations of this kind.

Complaints against the other 11 companies were still being assessed, with reports expected in the coming weeks, according to a statement from the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE).