The following letter, signed by over 100 academics and legal experts, was sent today to the prime minister calling for Canada to adopt a strong corporate accountability law.
Broad support is building for due diligence legislation in Canada, placing the topic firmly within policy debates on Parliament Hill. Tomorrow human rights defenders from the Global South will remind us why such a law is urgently needed.
The draft model law would require Canadian firms to respect human rights throughout their global operations and supply chains.
Tens of millions of people around the globe are trapped in forced labour. The Canadian government should take steps to not only warn companies against profiting from the abuse, but prevent them from doing so.
In May, 120,000 people in northwestern Colombia were endangered by the potential collapse of a hydroelectric dam being developed by Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), a client of Canada’s export credit agency. EPM is currently under investigation for possible corruption and environmental damage linked to the project.
Last month 13 people protesting the expansion of a copper smelter owned by Vedanta Limited were shot and killed by police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Vedanta Ltd. is financed by the Canadian government despite being blacklisted on human rights and environmental grounds by many investors.
Ongoing media coverage regarding the sale of a Bombardier jet to the Gupta family has triggered an important public debate about the accountability and transparency of Export Development Canada. With Parliament set to review EDC’s governing legislation this year, the timing for such a discussion could not be better.
Today, in partnership with colleagues in Europe and the U.S., Above Ground introduces www.BHRinLaw.org. This site provides up-to-date news and summaries of developments in the push to make business respect for human rights across borders a legally enforceable requirement, through legislation and case law.
Last month legislators and experts on business and human rights gathered in Ottawa to discuss groundbreaking developments in home state legislative initiatives aimed at protecting human rights from corporate abuse. This article provides a summary of the discussion and comments made by panelists and keynote speakers at the Bringing Responsibility Home symposium.
Above Ground works to ensure that companies based in Canada or supported by the Canadian state respect human rights and the environment worldwide. It is a project of MakeWay, a national charity that builds partnerships and solutions to help nature and communities thrive together.
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