(Ottawa/unceded territories of the Algonquin Nation, 10 December 2024) – One week before talks towards a business and human rights treaty, the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) is calling on the federal government to support their progress and commit to urgent domestic measures that protect communities and workers around the world from harm.
In a letter to Minister of International Trade Mary Ng, the CNCA is urging the government to:
- Ensure talks move towards formal negotiations on a legally binding treaty in 2025;
- Commit to passing mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation that holds Canadian corporations accountable for their impacts abroad; and
- Provide the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) with the necessary powers to provide meaningful remedies and prevent human rights abuses.
Taking place from December 16-20 in Geneva, this year marks the 10-year anniversary of the creation of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on a legally binding instrument on business and human rights. To date, talks have proceeded slowly and not secured adequate support from countries like Canada in the Global North.
Progress toward a new treaty would go a significant way towards delivering Minister Ng’s mandate to ensure that Canadian businesses operating abroad do not contribute to human rights abuses. Canada has a particular responsibility to support these talks, given the significant number of extractive industries headquartered in this country and extensive global supply chains associated with social and environmental impacts overseas.
Shane Moffatt, Director of the CNCA said:
“Through their activities, many large corporations are harming communities and causing environmental destruction around the world. In large part this is due to a lack of accountability for corporations based in Canada and the Global North. Instead of being part of the problem, the government has an opportunity to be part of the solution by supporting a global treaty and taking immediate action to prevent further harms by Canadian companies overseas.”
According to Beatrice Olivastri, CEO Friends of the Earth Canada:
“Canada has been missing in action for the first ten years of talks on this important Treaty while relying instead on voluntary principles for Canadian business activities affecting human and environmental rights overseas. Now that the EU is bringing in its due diligence legislation, Canada needs to engage in the Treaty and bring in our own mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation to put a halt to human and environmental damage by Canadian companies around the world.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The CNCA’s letter to Minister Ng is available here;
- The CNCA’s submission to the 5-year review of the CORE in October is available here.
- The CNCA has drafted model mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation that would require companies to prevent all forms of human rights abuse in their operations and ensure impacted people have access to justice in Canadian courts;
- Over 50,000 Canadians have called on the federal government to pass such legislation.
