Coalition Welcomes EDC Report, Warns Only First Step for Crown Corporation

Ottawa, September 16 – A Canadian coalition of development, environment, faith-based, human rights, and labour groups today welcomed the release of Export Development Canada’s Second Annual Chief Environmental Adviser’s Report, but warned that this is only a small step towards ensuring greater public accountability for the Crown Corporation.

“We are definitely encouraged that EDC chose to release this report for a second year running, and responded to earlier feedback by shedding a little more light on EDC’s internal workings”, said Fraser Reilly-King, Coordinator of the NGO Working Group on EDC. “But when you have to wait a year to get any substantive information relating to EDC’s environmental transactions, it becomes obvious how far they still have to go.”

World Bank Sanctions Acres International Limited

World Bank News Release No: 2005/33/S

WASHINGTON, Jul. 23, 2004 – The World Bank has sanctioned Acres International Limited (Acres), a Canadian company, as a result of corrupt activities related to its Bank financed contract associated with the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). Acres was declared ineligible to receive any new Bank financed contracts for a period of three years. This action is part of the Bank’s broad anticorruption efforts initiated by President James Wolfensohn in 1996. More information on the World Bank’s overall anticorruption policies and activities can be found at: http://www.worldbank.org/anticorruption.

June 7, 2004

Mr. Fraser Reilly-King

Halifax Initiative

153 Chapel Street, Suite 104

Ottawa, Ontario

KIN 1H5

Dear Mr. Reilly-King:

Mr. Ian Gillespie

President and CEO

Export Development Canada

151 O’Connor, Ottawa, ON  K1A 1K3

Fax: (613) 598-3080

March 18, 2003

Re: Disclosure policies at EDC

Dear Mr. Gillespie:

It is my understanding that Export Development Canada will be reviewing its disclosure policy later in the year.

Comments to the Auditor General on the review of EDC's Environmental Review Directive (January 2004)

EDC’s Commitments to the Environment

November 20, 2003

Mr. A. Ian Gillespie
President and CEO
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor Street,
Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3

The Hon. Pierre Pettigrew
Minister of International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive, Tower B, 5th Floor
Ottawa, ON   K1A 0G2

Dear Minister Pettigrew and Mr. Gillespie,

Thank you for forwarding me Rev. 2 of the OECD “Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Support Export Credits 2003.”

November 20, 2003

Mr. A. Ian Gillespie
President and CEO
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor Street,
Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3

The Hon. Pierre Pettigrew
Minister of International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive, Tower B, 5th Floor
Ottawa, ON   K1A 0G2

Dear Minister Pettigrew and Mr. Gillespie,

Thank you for forwarding me Rev. 2 of the OECD “Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Support Export Credits 2003.”

November 20, 2003

Mr. A. Ian Gillespie
President and CEO
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor Street,
Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3

The Hon. Pierre Pettigrew
Minister of International Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive, Tower B, 5th Floor
Ottawa, ON   K1A 0G2

Dear Minister Pettigrew and Mr. Gillespie,

Thank you for forwarding me Rev. 2 of the OECD “Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Support Export Credits 2003.”

October 22, 2003

Mr. Fraser Reilly-King
Halifax Initiative
153 Chapel Street, Ste 104
Ottawa ON KIN 1H5

Re: Compliance program file number 2236--1-1-2003

Dear Mr. Reilly-King:
With this letter, I would like to report to you the status of the compliance program review of your letter of complaint dated July 28, 2003.

To reiterate, in your letter, you alleged that Export Development Canada (EDC) "violated the spirit of its disclosure policy, environmental review directive [(ERD)] and Code of Business Ethics" in relation to the Cernavoda 2 nuclear power plant transaction in Romania. You set out specific sections of each policy and proffered substantiating information for the allegations of non-compliance. You saw my role "as interpreting these policies in ways that ensure that they are implemented to their best intent."

Commonwealth Foundation
Brunei Darasalaam
July 22nd, 2003

The Role of IFIs
Pamela Foster
Halifax Initiative Coalition

I may have been asked to give this talk as I, among our Commonwealth colleagues, sit closest to Washington. As there is so much experience in the room in addressing issues of the World Bank and the IMF[1], I will merely start a list of all the ways that the IFIs are implicated in the relentless drive towards privatization of public assets.

First, I would like to quickly share two contextual comments regarding this push towards privatization. It must be situated within the drive towards the end of history, or the ultimate global supremacy of US-modeled capitalism. This victory was declared at the end of the Cold War. The end of history envisions the role of the state being limited to maintaining law and order and a sound investment climate.