March 28, 2008

The Honourable James Flaherty
Minister of Finance
House of Commons
Wellington St.
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Flaherty:

I am writing with respect to the 2007 OECD Revised Council Recommendation on Common Approaches on the Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits. The Recommendation currently lacks a credible mechanism to monitor Member implementation and I write to urge Canada to support the adoption of a peer review system. I understand that the Secretariat of the OECD Export Credit Group (ECG) intends to include the issue of peer review for the Common Approaches in the agenda of the upcoming ECG meeting in April 2008. A peer review system is essential to generate credible information for use in the 2010 report to the OECD Council on the implementation of the Recommendation.

At home and abroad, Canadian companies should have the same human-rights and environmental standards



Our mining and oil and gas interests shouldn't act like a foreign fox in an overseas hen house

ED BROADBENT AND ALEX NEVE

Special to Globe and Mail Update

February 29, 2008 at 12:21 AM EST

November 5, 2007

Ms. Karyn Keenan
Program Officer
Halifax Initiative
104-153 Chapel Street
Ottawa ON KIN 1H5

Dear Ms. Keenan:

This is in response to your letter of September 17. Your letter contains many questions and comments which I will answer by focusing on the key issues that you raise.

The first issue raised refers to Export Development Canada’s practices related to public consultations and whether this is a requirement of our environmental review process.

For pdf, click here

15th Replenishment of the International Development Association – Please sir, can I have some more?

What is IDA?
The International Development Association (IDA), along with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), constitute the World Bank. Formed in 1960, IDA was established to support economic growth, reduce poverty and improve living conditions. IDA loans support primary education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, infrastructure and institutional reforms. Whereas IDA provides long-term interest-free loans and grants to 81 of the world’s poorest, or low-income, countries, the IBRD provides advice and investment to middle income countries. By the end of 2006, IDA had provided a total over the years of US$161 billion in concessional loans and grants to 108 countries .

Mining Abroad 'Morally Wrong': MPs

■ Alexa McDonough and British MP Steve Pound try to resurrect the call for Canada to enact social responsibility requirements.

By Chris Gillcash

NDP MP Alexa McDonough is calling on Canada to enact standards of corporate social responsibility in overseas mining operations following a trip to Honduras last week to investigate concerns that some Canadian companies working in Honduras are taking advantage of weak regulations and endangering local residents through environmental contamination.

July 16, 2007

Karyn Keenan
Program Officer
Halifax Initiative
153 Chapel Street
Ottawa ON KIN 1H5

Dear Ms. Keenan:

I am writing to comment on the recent report, Dirty Business, Dirty Practices: How the Federal Government Supports Canadian Mining, Oil and Gas Companies Abroad, to which you contributed. Firstly, let me acknowledge the efforts that the Halifax Initiative and others have made to participate in the discussion and debate around Canadian government support to Canadian mining and oil and gas companies operating abroad. This is a topic that concerns us all.

Trade talks to start soon with Columbia

Observers say Canada should wait until Uribe government has better human rights record

Jul 12, 2007 04:30 AM
Allan Woods
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA–A free trade deal likely to be launched between Canada and Colombia next week will go beyond the usual focus on dollars and cents to spell out the ethical responsibilities of Canadian companies seeking to exploit the South American country's untapped resources.

Embassy, July 11th, 2007
NEWS STORY
Chamber says PM Broke Promise at G8

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is frustrated Stephen Harper mentioned a corporate responsibility report during the G8, but mining groups are pleased their study is being taken seriously.

By Lee Berthiaume

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says Prime Minister Stephen Harper was premature in promoting a recent report on corporate social responsibility at the Group of Eight nations summit in June.

http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/230187

Canada's Responsibility
by Gerry Barr, President-CEO Canadian Council for International Co-operation
June 28, 2007
PM sees payoff in adding Americas to foreign agenda

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided Canada should "re-engage" with the Americas, and in July he's visiting four states in the region to start up his new foreign policy direction. In a world where the majority of the population lives in underdevelopment, Harper rightly says of the Americas, "We also have countries that have development challenges." But will Canada lessen those challenges or add to them?

For pdf, click here

The Halifax Initiative Coalition supports a full replenishment of the International Development Association, in addition to the debt cancellation commitments made by Canada at Gleneagles.

However, we also call on the Canadian government to work for the adoption at the World Bank of the following reforms by the end of IDA 14 in June 2008: