See here to learn more about the legislation we are calling for. 

• Where: Parliament Hill Lawn
• When: Friday, September 26, 2025, 12-1pm

For more information please contact: 

Aidan Gilchrist-Blackwood, Network Coordinator, Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability 
agilchristblackwood@cnca-rcrce.ca
438-872-0401

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The Bill grants the government sweeping powers to bypass existing laws and regulations in order to fast-track projects in the “national interest”, putting at risk hard-fought environmental and labour rights protections. This sets a very dangerous precedent for corporate accountability everywhere, weakening oversight at a time when Canadian corporations continue to be linked to grave human rights abuses in Canada and abroad, including repeated violations of the rights of Indigenous peoples. Bill C-5 further opens the door to unfettered corporate influence – we can be sure that powerful multinationals are already hard at work lobbying the government to take full advantage.

This bill was rushed through both Houses of Parliament on a very short timeline, violating the democratic process as well as Canada’s obligations to Indigenous rights-holders. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN), in a template letter to MPs, noted that Canada’s approach to introducing this legislation has been “inconsistent with the federal government’s commitments to a true nation-to-nation relationship, reconciliation, and its obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act”.

The governing Liberal Party’s election platform called for Canada to champion human rights and the rule of law. Bill C-5 is an affront to these commitments. Canadian civil society will be closely monitoring the implementation of the bill and will sound the alarm at signs of abuse.

The CNCA unites over 40 Canadian human rights, environmental, labour, faith, grassroots solidarity and international development organizations, collectively representing over 3 million Canadians.

For more information, see:

• Reaction from Climate Action Network Canada: Environmental and civil society groups react: Bill C-5 becomes law, setting a dangerous precedent
• MiningWatch Canada: The Building Canada Act Is a Shocking Power Grab – And Powerful Political Theatre. What Happens Next?  
• Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE): Carney’s “One Canadian Economy” Act is a threat to workers and public services

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This will be the topic of discussion at an upcoming symposium on Parliament hill, co-organised by the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability and Above Ground. Attendees will include international experts, parliamentarians, civil society, business representatives and members of the media.

Taking place during the government’s review of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, the symposium offers a full day of panel talks and discussions in an interactive format, with opportunities for attendees to meet and speak informally between sessions.

The event is co-sponsored by Members of Parliament Sameer Zuberi (Liberal Party), Heather McPherson (New Democratic Party), Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Bloc Québecois) and Mike Morrice (Green Party).

International and Canadian experts in business human rights will be available to speak with the media. Simultaneous French translation will be provided.

• Where: John A. Macdonald building, Parliament hill, Ottawa.

• When: October 29th, 9am-5pm.

• Who: Members of the media are invited to attend

• How: This is event is free to register at http://bhrsymposium2024.eventbrite.ca/ 

For more information contact:

Shane Moffatt, Director, CNCA. Phone: 416.432.7145. Email: smoffatt@cnca-rcrce.ca 

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The CNCA welcomed the family and supporters of murdered Mexican human rights and environmental defender Mariano Abarca to a CNCA members meeting at the Canadian Labour Congress offices in Ottawa on 6 June 2023.

Mariano Abarca was killed by a motorcycle hitman in November 2009, in front of his family restaurant in Chiapas, after speaking out for community rights in relation to activities of a barite mine owned by Canadian mining company Blackfire Exploration Ltd.

A month before the murder, after receiving complaints from Blackfire about community opposition around the mine, a high level delegation from the Canadian Embassy had gone to the Governor’s office in Chiapas to advocate for Blackfire’s interests. Mariano Abarca’s family and supporters believe that the Canadian Embassy’s support and lobbying put Mariano’s life at greater risk.

The family was in Ottawa to file a complaint against Canada to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The complaint alleges that Canada failed to uphold its international human rights obligations when it pressured Mexican authorities to advance a Canadian mining project and failed to take steps to protect defenders, despite having knowledge about related threats to Mariano’s life.

The complaint cites over 1000 pages of internal reports and emails from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, which show the Embassy played a crucial role getting the mine into operation and failed to do human rights due diligence before becoming involved. 

Mariano Abarca’s son, lawyer José Luis Abarca, and Esperanza Salazar, an organizer with the Mexican Network of People Affected by Mining (REMA), received support in filing the complaint from the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP), and over a dozen other Canadian civil society organizations and coalitions including the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability.

Nearly 14 years after the murder, no credible investigation has been conducted. The CNCA supports the right of access to remedy for those harmed by Canadian companies’ global operations and supply chains.

Meanwhile, allegations of environmental and human rights abuse by Canadian mining companies in Mexico and elsewhere persist.

“Canadian embassies continue to play a major role advancing Canadian mining investment across the world. Yet they wash their hands of any responsibility to protect the people who are put in harm’s way because of that Canadian investment,” said Viviana Herrera, Latin America Coordinator for CNCA member-organization MiningWatch Canada, at a press conference on June 5th.

The CNCA campaigns for reforms of Canada’s policy and legal approaches to ensure that the actions of Canadian officials comply with Canada’s international human and environmental rights obligations, and for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation to help prevent future abuse associated with Canadian company activities around the world. 

Learn more:

• Canada’s bid for UN Human Rights Council marred by allegations of inaction on corporate abuse, José Luis Abarca & Viviana Herrera, Canada’s National Observer, 12 June 2023.
• Supporters of slain mining activist take case against Canada to international body, The Canadian Press, via CTV News, 7 July 2023.
• Did Canada fail to Protect Human Rights Defender Assassinated for his Opposition to a Canadian Mine?, MiningWatch Canada, 5 June 2023.
• Webinar: Canada Closed its Doors to Mariano Abarca. What’s Next?, MiningWatch Canada, 6 June 2023.
• Petition Against Canada for Violations of the Right to Life and Other Rights of Mariano Abarca, Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, June 2023.
• Canada’s Systematic Failure to Fulfill its International Obligations to Human and Environmental Rights Defenders Abroad: Submission to the UPR Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council in anticipation of the 2023 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Canada, 4 April 2023.
• https://justice4mariano.net/

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The CNCA’s letter expresses concern over a written statement issued by the Government of Canada at the recent United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, in the fall of 2021, which endorsed a US initiative to “explor(e) alternative instruments, binding or non-binding” as an alternative to the current UN Binding Treaty.

In the letter, the CNCA urged the Government of Canada to

• cease calling for an alternative framework,
• publicly acknowledge that the current draft of the UN Binding Treaty is a foundation for ongoing negotiations, and
• commit to constructively engage in the 8th session of the treaty negotiations.

Please read the full March 2022 letter to Minister Joly.

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The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Shin Imai, a York University law professor and co-founder of the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, requesting that Ottawa be ordered to remove redactions from documents it provided in response to an access-to- information request.

Hidden in those documents are details about Canadian officials’ communications with Goldcorp, the Guatemalan government and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) after the IACHR called for Guatemala to temporarily suspend Goldcorp’s mining operations in 2010. It made this unprecedented request in response to alleged human rights abuses, environmental damages and health impacts.

The details that Ottawa did reveal in the emails, meeting notes and other documents it released suggest that Canadian officials swiftly intervened on Goldcorp’s behalf, lobbying decision-makers in Guatemala and at the IACHR for months. In the end, Guatemala declined to shut down the mine, and the commission retracted its request.

“What did Canadian ambassadors and cabinet ministers say in their flurry of meetings and phone calls with Goldcorp, with IACHR officials, with Guatemala’s vice president? says Karen Hamilton, Director of Above Ground. “The public should have access to such information, to know just how far Canadian officials went to influence this outcome, which had devastating effects for communities near the mine.”

The court found Ottawa was justified in blacking out key details in the documents it released because revealing them would reasonably be expected to bring “harm to Canada’s international relations.” The court initially issued a confidential decision, several weeks before making it public in February.

“If Canadians can’t obtain meaningful information about the diplomatic support our government is providing to companies overseas, then our public disclosure rules are out of date and in need of reform,” says Emily Dwyer, Policy Director at the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability.

“People living near Goldcorp’s mine continue to suffer from a legacy of pollution and other harms,” says Jean Symes, co-manager and policy analyst at Inter Pares. “Beyond the transparency concerns it raises, this case demonstrates the need for binding rules requiring that Canadian diplomats prioritize protecting human rights over protecting commercial interests.”

Related documents

• Imai v. Canada case backgrounder, prepared before the hearing of the case in February 2021 (6 pages)
• Detailed timeline of Goldcorp’s Marlin mine (3 pages)
• The Justice and Corporate Accountability Project’s detailed report on Canadian officials’ interventions to help Goldcorp avert closure of the mine (64 pages)

Note

This press release was issued jointly by Above Ground, Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability, Inter Pares, MiningWatch Canada and the Steelworkers Humanity Fund.

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The lawsuit, filed by Shin Imai, York University law professor and co-founder of the Justice & Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP), is supported by several civil society organizations. It asks the court to order Global Affairs Canada to remove the redactions on 20 pages of documents the department disclosed in response to an access-to-information request. 

Hidden in those documents are details about Canadian officials’ communications with Goldcorp, the Guatemalan government and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) after the commission called for Goldcorp’s Marlin mine to be shut down in 2010. The commission made the unprecedented request in response to evidence that Indigenous communities had not been consulted about the mine and concerns that its operations were contaminating their water resources.

The portions of the documents that Global Affairs Canada did release suggest that Canadian officials swiftly intervened in the case on Goldcorp’s behalf, lobbying decision-makers in Guatemala and at the IACHR for months following the commission’s request. In 2011 Guatemala announced it would not suspend the mine’s operations, and the commission retracted its request.

“Although many details are blacked out, these records paint a damning picture,” says Emily Dwyer, Coordinator of the Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability. “Canadian officials including ambassadors and cabinet ministers went to great lengths to present Goldcorp’s position to the Guatemalan government and the IACHR. We are concerned that Canadian officials may have tried to improperly influence decision makers.” 

“The Canadian government’s decision to go to court rather than disclose this additional information raises the question: what else did it do to support Goldcorp?” says Shin Imai of JCAP. “The public should be able to scrutinize the government’s actions here, to assess the extent to which it undermined Indigenous communities’ efforts to defend their rights.”

The lawsuit contends that the Canadian government blacked out information that Canadians have a right to see under access-to-information legislation.

“Communities impacted by the mine tell us that they are still dealing with polluted rivers, the destruction of sacred sites and property damage. Many people lack access to safe drinking water,” says Jean Symes of Inter Pares. 

Mr. Imai is represented by the law firm Major Sobiski Moffatt. 

Additional resources

• Journalist backgrounder
• Timeline

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We focus on two main themes:

• Mandatory public reporting
• Tax justice and the extractive sector

1. Mandatory public reporting: it’s about transparency

First the good news: In December 2014, Canada enacted the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) which requires companies to publicly report on the payments they make to all levels of government. The CNCA played a key role in shaping this legislation.

For over a decade, the CNCA has been urging the government of Canada to move away from strictly voluntary standards in relation to Canadian mining, oil, and gas companies operating overseas, and ESTMA is an important first step. The enhanced transparency afforded by mandatory reporting of payments is a tool by which governments can be held to account for resource revenue management, improve resource mobilization and public investment, deter corruption and mismanagement, and support informed public debate. Knowing how much, or how little, a company is paying in taxes and royalties can help affected communities to advocate for a fairer share of resources and make informed decisions about whether or not to support projects in their region.

2. Tax justice and the extractive sector

Around the world, mineral-rich communities often receive little economic benefit from the wealth that is taken from their soil. Tax revenue on mining projects are often low. This can be the result of tax treaties between countries that restrict the right of states to tax foreign investors and foreign-owned companies. Or it can be because rates have been negotiated down by powerful companies, with the support of the home-states that represent them—such as Canada.

Further, multinational companies make extensive use of tax dodging strategies – such as the use of tax havens. While tax havens are used primarily to avoid taxes and regulations, their use can often be perfectly legal under existing international and Canadian law. Tax havens also facilitate other even more problematic practices such as transfer mispricing.

Put together, the many strategies available to powerful corporations too often result in limited and temporary economic benefit to communities where resource-extraction takes place. But these same communities are left to deal with – and pay for –the long-term environmental, health and social costs.

Why is action on tax justice so urgent?

In Africa, illicit financial outflows “constitute the single largest impediment to Africa’s development.” $1.3 trillion has been lost in illicit outflows over the last three decades. Countries that depend on resource extraction are particularly vulnerable to these outflows. Canada is one of the easiest countries in the world in which to set up the shell companies that facilitate tax dodging and the use of tax havens. The G8 and G20 have both identified the need to take action on this front.

The CNCA collaborates with Canadians for Tax Fairness and other Canadian organizations in the International Tax Justice Committee. Together, we’re tackling the loop-holes, tax havens and power imbalances that make the international tax regime – of which Canada is a part – complicit in the impoverishment of mineral-rich countries and communities.

Resources and further reading on economic justice:

• Canadians for Tax Fairness 
• Tax Justice Network Africa 
• La Red Latinoamericana sobre Deuda, Desarollo y Derechos (LATINDADD) (Spanish)
• Tax Justice Network (UK)
• Third World Resurgence Special Issue: “Siphoning the South’s resources: Transnational corporations, transfer pricing and tax evasion”
• Third World Resurgence: “Tax troubles: How transnational corporations enhance profits by avoiding taxes
• European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD), “Capital flight diverts development finance” (fact sheet)

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“Indigenous peoples around the world have suffered negative, even devastating consequences from extractive industries.” — United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2013)

Many Canadian mining companies carry out projects on Indigenous lands, leaving their people vulnerable to environmental contamination, loss of traditional culture and other negative impacts.

The Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples to be respected by Canadian mining, oil and gas companies operating abroad. The principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is key to the right to self-determination of Indigenous peoples.

What We Want:

• A corporate human rights ombudsperson with real powers to independently investigate and report on the respect of the rights of Indigenous peoples by Canadian mining, oil and gas companies operating abroad.
• All Canadian government support to companies (including political and commercial support by embassies and financing through Export Development Canada) to be conditional on respect for international human rights and environmental standards, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• The corporate sector to adopt the UN Declaration as a reconciliation framework, as recommended by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Call to Action #92), which includes the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) safeguard.
• Promotion and implementation of Indigenous rights and the UN Declaration in all of Canada’s international relations, including activities undertaken through its CSR Strategy for the extractive sector.

For further information on Indigenous rights issues, please visit the following CNCA member sites:

• Amnesty International Canada
• Public Service Alliance of Canada
• Kairos Canada

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