Fifty Canadian organizations call on Canada to adopt legislation requiring Canadian companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence throughout their global operations and supply chains

Fifty Canadian organizations and 11 international organizations have issued a joint statement to the Government of Canada, calling on the country to adopt legislation requiring Canadian companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence throughout their global operations and supply chains. (See this Statement in PDF.)

Joint Statement

As civil society organizations, trade unions, investors and/or subject-matter experts from around the world committed to upholding human rights (including Indigenous Peoples’ rights), environmental protection, climate-change action, and fostering equitable and sustainable economic development, we call on the Government of Canada to adopt legislation requiring Canadian companies[1] to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence throughout their global operations and supply chains.

The draft model legislation, The Corporate Respect for Human Rights and Environment Abroad Act (May 31, 2021) proposed by the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) acknowledges that all human rights are worthy of protection, moves beyond the limitations of voluntary initiatives and reporting-only approaches, provides insight on important human rights and environmental considerations, and lays the groundwork for more robust and comprehensive human rights and environmental due diligence legislation in Canada.

The CNCA’s proposed new law will:

1. establish a corporate duty to prevent human rights abuses and environmental damage;
2. create a corporate obligation to undertake comprehensive human rights due diligence; and
3. establish a right of action in Canadian courts (civil lawsuit) if Canadian companies, their subsidiaries, suppliers or subcontractors cause human rights abuse or environmental damage abroad. It would also establish a right of action if companies don’t develop, implement or report on adequate human rights and environmental due diligence procedures.

Adopting legislation such as the Corporate Respect for Human Rights and Environment Abroad Act (May 31, 2021) will incentivize Canadian companies to proactively prevent harms to human rights and environment, recognize the right to remedy for negatively impacted peoples, and help the Canadian government fulfill its international human rights responsibilities as set out in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Canadian companies includes those that are domiciled in Canada and those who sell goods or services in Canada if they also have a physical connection to Canada.

SIGNATORIES – Canadian organizations:

1. Above Ground
2. Americas Policy Group
3. Æquo, Services d’engagement actionnarial
4. Amnesty International Canada
5. Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI)
6. Atlantic Regional Solidarity Network (ARSN)
7. Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers
8. Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
9. Canadian Jesuits International
10. Canadian Labour Congress
11. Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR)
12. Centre Oblat • A Voice for Justice
13. Centre international de solidarité ouvrière (CISO)
14. Climate Action Network – Canada
15. CoDevelopment Canada (CoDev)
16. Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CDHAL)
17. La Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
18. Cooperation Canada
19. Council of Canadians
20. Development and Peace: Caritas Canada
21. Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (CSN)
22. Friends of the Earth Canada
23. Grandmothers Advocacy Network
24. Inter Pares
25. Jesuit Forum for Social Faith and Justice
26. KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
27. Ligue des droits et libertés (LDL)
28. Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network
29. Maquila Solidarity Network
30. Mennonite Central Committee Canada
31. Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN)
32. MiningWatch Canada
33. Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada
34. Oil Change International
35. Oxfam Canada
36. Oxfam Québec
37. Peace Brigades International Canada
38. Projet Accompagnement Québec-Guatemala (PAQG)
39. Public Service Alliance of Canada
40. Le Regroupement pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RRSE)
41. Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE)
42. Sisters of Saint Martha
43. Solidarité Laurentides-Amérique Centrale (SLAM)
44. Stop Ecocide Canada
45. United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada)
46. UNIFOR
47. The United Church of Canada
48. United Steelworkers
49. Vancouver Investment Management
50. World Vision

With the support from the following international organizations:

1. Accountability Counsel
2. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
3. Corporate Justice Coalition (UK)
4. Due Process of Law Foundation
5. European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)
6. International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (US)
7. Investors Alliance for Human Rights
8. Project HEARD (Netherlands)
9. Project Demokratie Cafe Reutlingen (Germany)
10. Project PODER (Mexico)
11. Gaia Amazonas (Colombia)

Other support:

Please also see a similar letter of support for the CNCA’s proposed legislation from over 150 groups working with directly-impacted communities in 32 countries: https://bit.ly/3Apdc9S