Below is the response of the Communist Party of Canada to CNCA’s 2025 Federal Election Questionnaire.
1. Does your party fully support the adoption of a mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law?
Yes. The Communist Party of Canada fully supports the adoption of strong, binding due diligence legislation that compels Canadian corporations to detect, prevent, and remedy human rights abuses and environmental harm throughout their global operations, subsidiaries, and supply chains.
We reject voluntary codes of conduct and corporate self-regulation, which have enabled widespread abuse including land theft, murder, forced labour, and ecological destruction—especially by Canadian mining and resource firms. A new law must create legal liability for companies causing harm and guarantee access to justice for affected workers and communities, including in Canadian courts.
Canada has a legal obligations under international law to prevent these violations, and the Communist Party calls for swift action to adopt due diligence legislation modelled on the CNCA’s Corporate Respect for Human Rights and the Environment Abroad Act. We also support international treaties to end corporate impunity and advocate for public ownership of the extractive sector to ensure operations serve human needs, not profit.
2. Will you strengthen the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE)?
Yes. The Communist Party calls for immediate reforms to CORE to make it truly independent, transparent, and effective.
The Party also calls for CORE to coordinate with labour unions, people’s organizations and movements and international bodies to ensure the voices of affected communities are heard and respected.
Canada’s current failure to stop corporate abuses reflects a broader problem of corporate power, allowing the prioritizing profit over human rights, workers’ rights, and ecological sustainability. The Communist Party stands for rolling back corporate power and putting people and the planet before corporate profits.
