Below is the response of the NDP to CNCA’s 2025 Federal Election Questionnaire.
Hi Aidan,
In answer to your two questions, yes.
Not only does our party support comprehensive mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, our party actually put this legislation forward in 2022 – Bill C-262.
Not only does our party want to reform the CORE office, our party put forward legislation on the CORE – Bill C-263 – in 2022.
I draw your attention to our press release from 2022:
NDP tables bills to fight for human and environmental rights
The government must do more to ensure Canadian corporations respect human rights, Indigenous rights and the environment here and abroad
OTTAWA — Today, in response to longstanding calls from activists, civil society, labour organizations in Canada and impacted communities around the world, NDP MPs Peter Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby) and Heather McPherson (Edmonton-Strathcona) tabled legislation to strengthen oversight and enforcement to ensure that Canadian corporations respect human rights and the environment abroad.
MP McPherson tabled Bill C-263 that would give the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) the necessary powers to investigate human right abuses by Canadian corporations. To help carry out that work, MP Julian tabled Bill C-262 to enshrine in Canadian law tools to hold Canadian corporations accountable for their actions.
“No one should be suffering abuse at the hands of a Canadian company,” said MP McPherson. “Canada lacks an Ombudsperson with teeth and the power to hold Canadian corporations accountable for their actions here and abroad,” said MP McPherson. “Bill C-263 outlines important revisions to the CORE to ensure it has powers to investigate alleged human rights abuses and to compel witnesses and documents. While the CORE has been operational for nearly three years, the Government of Canada has failed to give it the powers that were promised. Canada must live up to its international human rights obligations and stop putting corporate profits ahead of human rights and environmental protection. International reputation is at stake.”
Together, these Private Members Bills aim to install powerful legislative tools for Canada to respond to violations of human rights and dangerous threats to the environment linked to the global operations and supply chains of Canadian companies. Currently, human, labour and environmental rights lack protections. Canada’s federal government should be holding Canadian corporations, their subsidiaries and supply chains to a high standard of corporate social responsibility at home and abroad – and ensure they meet it.
“Despite knowing for decades that Canadian companies and supply chains are contributing to human rights abuse and environmental damage abroad, the Canadian government continues to rely on voluntary measures to encourage responsible business conduct,” said Julian. “Bill C-262 would require companies to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights abuses and provides for liability when companies cause harm in their global operations. The federal government must make abusive actions by Canadians and Canadian corporations illegal here and abroad.”
