In May Indian police shot and killed 13 people who were protesting pollution from a copper smelter owned by Vedanta Ltd, a client of Export Development Canada (EDC). In this letter, we seek answers from EDC's President and Chief Executive Officer regarding the actions taken by the public agency to respond to the shootings and the harms caused by its client's operations.
With this submission to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Above Ground and Justiça Global welcome the opportunity to address points raised by Kinross Gold and Export Development Canada in response to our report "Swept Aside: An Investigation into Human Rights Abuse at Kinross Gold's Morro do Ouro Mine."
Last fall we wrote to Canada’s environment minister urging that the government include in its review of fossil fuel subsidies the billions in support it provides to oil and gas companies each year through Export Development Canada (EDC). We have now received confirmation that “EDC has been included as a part of this review.”
Hats off to The Globe and Mail for its reporting on Bombardier’s dealings in South Africa. Without it, Canadians may never have learned of allegations of corruption surrounding two South African contracts landed by the firm.
Above Ground and other members of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability provided the UN working group on business and human rights with input during its 2017 country visit to Canada. This submission provides the working group with complementary and updated information in anticipation of the release of its Canada visit report.
In this letter, we urge Canada’s environment minister to ensure that financing provided to oil and gas companies by Export Development Canada (EDC) is included in the government’s review of non-tax fossil fuel subsidies. As the government works towards its stated goal of fighting climate change, the billions of dollars in support EDC provides to the oil and gas sector every year must not be left out of the equation.
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