Action Alert Archives : October 2001

This is a sample letter you can send to Minister Pettigrew concerning the review of the Export Development Act. Please read our action alert on this subject (in the section on export credit agencies, in action alerts).

The Honourable Pierre S. Pettigrew
Minister of International Trade
507, Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa (Ontario)
K1A 0A6

October 4, 2001

Dear Honourable Minister Pettigrew,

I would like to express my concern on the Export Development Act to be tabled in Parliament shortly. The legislative review of the Export Development Corporation’s Act began in 1999. Since that time, many different recommendations have been made to ensure that this crown corporation respects Canada’s international obligations on human rights and that the projects it supports do not put people and the environment at risk abroad. Also, the EDC’s secrect practices have been pointed out.

With Bill C-31 on the Export Development Act, little is done to remedy to these flaws. Although the EDC is improving its environmental framework and implementing a disclosure policy, this is not enough. The Act must be changed to require in law from the EDC that it

- discloses non-confidential information and environmental information on projects with significant adverse impacts

- respect international obligations on human rights

- adopt high international standards on environmental protection.

Concerning disclosure, I would also like to add how important it is that the EDC’s disclosure policy require pre-approval disclosure of environmental information for projects with significant environmental impacts. This is crucial to any environmental assessment process and is becoming common practice for many international institutions and other export credit agencies.

Only with appropriate legislation will the EDC’s financing no longer risk the environment and communities abroad. Only then would the EDC be a public institution that we would be proud to call Canadian.

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