Ottawa – Last Thursday, Prime Minister Carney announced the elimination of the Office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), leaving communities and workers who allege serious human rights abuse by Canadian companies at significant risk of further harm.
Today, the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability (CNCA), a network of over 40 non-profit organizations, unions and faith groups, whose combined membership includes over 3 million Canadians, denounces this decision and stands firmly in solidarity with victims of human rights and labour rights abuse linked to the activities of Canadian companies around the world. CNCA members were joined by Members of Parliament Heather McPherson and Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay in speaking out.
“When the CORE was first created in 2018, the government announced it would have much-needed independent investigatory powers, as human rights groups and hundreds of thousands of individual Canadians across the country advocated for,” said Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood, CNCA Network Coordinator. “These commitments were abandoned soon after, and the office was later left to languish for over two years without a permanent leader. We demand that the government reinstate the office, with the necessary powers to conduct thorough investigations.”
“The government has kept complainants in the dark about the office’s closure, despite deciding on it months ago,” said Diana Martin, co-manager at MiningWatch Canada. “This lack of transparency risks deepening the harm already faced by affected communities.”
“As recently as March 2026, multiple cabinet ministers publicly promoted the CORE as an example of Canada’s commitment to international human rights,” said David Matsinhe, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Amnesty International Canada. “Now, the Prime Minister is justifying the decision to close the office by claiming it is ineffective. The solution has always been to reinforce the office, not eliminate it.”
Additional quotes
The news of CORE's in-camera elimination is deeply unjust to tens of thousands of people, including Canadians who have voiced for corporate accountability for years, and shocking to the petitioners like myself. We have ongoing petitions before the Office, and I had been told that my Reko Diq petition against Barrick was near completion, with the drafting of its Initial Assessment Report already underway. The Prime Minister claimed that this decision was made a few months ago. Yet, despite knowing that we were awaiting updates on our petitions, no one has informed us – which is deeply disturbing.
The government’s decision to eliminate the CORE position is deeply troubling. Workers and communities affected by the actions of Canadian companies abroad deserve a place to seek accountability and justice. The CORE was one of the few mechanisms available to investigate abuses and hear complaints. Canada should focus on upholding its human and labour rights obligations and strengthening corporate accountability, not dismantling it.
The Canadian government recently claimed the CORE is a key component of its strategy to combat forced labour in Canada’s supply chains. To then suddenly eliminate the office risks misleading the Canadian public, our trading partners and—most importantly—the victims of human and labour rights abuses who sought the CORE’s assistance.
Under the pretext of combating forced labor in the context of the CUSMA negotiations, the elimination of the Ombudsperson position does nothing to advance that objective. It is shocking that the Canadian government is using civil society’s calls to strengthen this mechanism as a justification for dismantling it. At a time when large corporations wield increasing power and can violate rights and destroy the environment with impunity around the world, there is a pressing need for effective and binding mechanisms and laws that hold them accountable for all human rights violations they commit.
To eliminate the CORE is to eliminate the voice of over 500,000 Canadians who called for its establishment over more than 10 years of campaigning. Canada can do better.
For media inquiries please contact:
Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood
Network Coordinator, Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability
agilchristblackwood@cnca-rcrce.ca
1-438-872-0401
Notes to editors
- In comments to the media, the Prime Minister suggested the functions of the CORE will be replaced by newly-introduced forced labour legislation tabled last week following threats of new tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump. This bill is entirely separate from the CORE. The CORE was mandated to investigate allegations of human rights abuse by Canadian companies operating overseas, while bill C-35 aims to strengthen enforcement of Canada`s ban on the import of goods produced with forced labour.
