Liberals ‘seriously’ considering mining ombudsperson, says federal corporate social responsibility adviser
The Liberal government is “seriously reviewing” the creation of an ombudsperson to investigate Canadian companies implicated in wrongdoing abroad, says Canada’s corporate social responsibility counsellor for the extractive sector, Jeffrey Davidson. After a year of getting its feet wet and dealing with top priorities, the government has turned its attention to Mr. Davidson’s office and […]
Under fire, Canada’s CSR counsellor shows his work
Halfway through his term as Canada’s oft-maligned corporate social responsibility counsellor, things are looking up for Jeffrey Davidson. He has a permanent staff now, for instance, and the backing of the Liberal government. He’s also expecting the release, finally, of his first annual report in the near future, which will be the first formal account […]
Time to end Canada’s moral blind spot on mining operations abroad
OTTAWA—I always remember a day in the fall of 2009 shortly after Stephen Harper’s Conservative government named Marketa Evans to the post of corporate social responsibility counsellor, with the idea of doing something about allegations of human rights and environmental abuses by Canadian mining companies operating overseas. How big a staff would Evans need to […]
Postcard from Saudi Arabia: Canada’s relationship is on the rocks, but there’s still time
Last month, I travelled to Saudi Arabia with Canadian executives to take the next step in advancing and strengthening our ties with Canada’s largest trading partner in the Middle East—not as a diplomat, but as a Canadian business executive. When you have a strong network of connections that go back 42 years, that are vital […]
Public’s goodwill already traded away
TORONTO—A reader wrote after my last column on the Belgians and the Canada-EU trade deal. “Hi Paul: Just a note to express disappointment.” Yeah, well, get in line. “Vern in Alberta,” the email’s author, wished I would speculate “just what the Canadian populace would think” if they knew “non-voting multinational corporations” are trying to get […]
Enough talk, Canada needs extractive industries ombudsperson
At least 44 people killed. More than 400 people injured. Hundreds more repressed and criminalized for defending their land, their health, and their livelihoods. These figures are not from a war, although often it feels that way to those whose lives are being described. Rather, these shocking details of human rights abuses were all connected […]
Japan presses Canada to ‘send a message,’ ratify TPP
Japan’s ambassador renewed pressure on Canada’s government to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, and soon, after an appearance before the House Trade Committee last week. The ink is still drying on the Canada-Europe trade deal, which was signed Sunday, but Kenjiro Monji issued a polite reminder on Oct. 27 that Japan is looking for progress […]
More changes coming to Canada-Europe trade deal’s controversial investment court: Freeland
Canada and the European Union still have not finished crafting the controversial investor-state court system in the freshly signed trade deal between the two, according to the office of Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland. The investment court, which would allow European businesses to sue Canada’s government if they felt they had been treated unfairly compared to Canadian […]
How the Trudeau government responds to infrastructure bank idea will be moment of truth
Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth makes it look like a match made in heaven. Canada’s public sector has billions in unmet public infrastructure needs while major capital investors have trillions in surplus funds they want to invest to earn stable higher returns. But in any big-money wedding, someone has to foot […]
CETA is big news, but do we really understand why?
TORONTO—The saga about the signing of the free trade agreement between Canada and United Europe raises many questions that are very difficult to answer. For example, is it possible that a population of a little region like Wallonia can stop an agreement of such importance and magnitude? Is that democracy or anarchy? I don’t believe […]
