EDC and ECA Reports and Analysis

Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) Submission regarding the April 2008 Report of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Business and Human Rights

This submission provides feedback regarding the final report to the first part of the Special Representative's mandate.

Halifax Initiative Submission to the 2008 Review of the Export Development Act

This submission to the review, prepared by the Halifax Initiative, focuses on the environmental, social and human rights standards utilized by EDC when it assesses client proposals. The submission also examines the legislative provisions governing disclosure by the Crown corporation.

Export Credit Agencies and the International Law of Human Rights - January 2008

This paper was prepared to inform the mandate of the Special Representative of the United National Secretary-General on Business and Human Rights. The paper argues that currently, state obligations under international law are not being met in the provision of officially-supported export credit and investment insurance services. The paper provides recommendations for home states regarding export credit agencies and international human rights.

Dirty Business, Dirty Practice - How the Federal Government Supports Mining, Oil and Gas Abroad (May 2007)

A new CNCA web site and publication that documents, with case studies, the eight ways the Federal Government supports Canadian mining, oil and gas companies abroad. The Halifax Initiative was a contributing author to the publication.
*EDC letter to HI on the report (July 2007)
*HI response to EDC (September 2007)

The Legal Obligations With Respect to Human Rights and Export Credit Agencies (July 2006)

This Legal Analysis is a revision of an earlier discussion paper prepared for ESCR-Net and ECA-Watch. It provides an overview of Export Credit Agencies, and how ECA-funded activities impact human rights. It explores the international law of state responsibility as applied to ECAs, concluding that ECAs, as organs or agents of the state, must comply with the international obligations of the state. It then explores the legal implications of this conclusion for ECAs.

Policy Brief : "Export Development Canada and Human Rights" - June 2006

In preparation for the 2006 National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and Extractives in Developing Countries, the Halifax Initiative has prepared this policy backgrounder, "Export Development Canada and Human Rights - Risk or Rights?"

"One Step Forward, One Step Back" (May 2006)

Overview and Analysis of the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) Sustainability Policy, Performance Standards and Disclosure Policy

Moving Beyond Voluntarism - Canada, Mining and CSR (November 2005)

Canada is a leader in the global mining industry, with the almost 60% of the world's exploration and mining companies listed in Canada. The government's response to a landmark report on mining and corporate social responsibility by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) is weak and inadequate given the severity of the problem and the strength of the SCFAIT's recommendations, and ignores the fact that, "for many communities abroad, these exploration and mining companies are the 'face of Canada.' "Moving Beyond Voluntarism" is a Civil Society Analysis of the Government Response.(November 2005)

Comments on EDC's Draft Disclosure and Environmental Review Policies - September 16, 2005

The Halifax Initiative Coalition is pleased to submit our comments on the new draft Environmental Review Directive (ERD) and Disclosure Policy. We are particularly pleased at this opportunity, as it was not afforded in 2001 when EDC first adopted its ERD. The early consultation, this comment period and some of the revisions made in the new drafts reflect the positive developments at EDC as it strives to do better business.

Review and Analysis of EDC's Disclosure Policy (March 2005)

This Report was prepared by the Sierra Legal Defense Fund on behalf of the Halifax Initiative Coalition. The Review looks at Export Development Canada's record on transparency in the context of the Access to Information Act, and national and international standards for transparency, and practice among other export credit agencies (ECAs) in terms of revealing project and environmental information. The report also tackles the issues of commercial confidentiality, and how to protect company concerns while responding to public demands for greater transparency and accountability from Crown Corps.

Civil Society Report Card on EDC (October 2004)

Issued to coincide with the Auditor General's review of EDC's environmental policy, this Report Card grades EDC on the progress they have made over the past two years in implementing their disclosure, environment and compliance policies. The Report Card acknowledges the improvements that EDC has made on the environment, but flunks the Crown Corporation on transparency.

Risk, Responsibility and Human Rights (May 2004)

Read the Discussion Paper and Final Report for a meeting on human rights and investment, that explores how human rights can be mainstreamed into trade and project finance. The Discussion Paper develops a framework, based on best practices, for ensuring due human rights diligence through all stages of the project cycle, and the Final Report provides an overview of the discussions and conclusions that were reached at the May 2004 multistakeholder meeting of experts.

Comments to the Auditor General on the review of EDC's ERD (January 2004)

These comments, critiques and recommendations on EDC's Environmental Review Directive (ERD) and Disclosure Policy were submitted to the Auditor General's office on the occasion of its 2003-2004 review of the implementation of EDC's ERD.

Comments on the OECD 2003 Common Approaches, Rev. 2 - November 20, 2003

This letter critiques various elements of the 2003 OECD agreement on Export Credits and the Environment, Revision 2. The agreement contains a number of significant loopholes that give countries the opportunity to diverge from pursuing a common approaches to the environment - one of the key objectives of the agreement.

Official Comments on OECD 2003 Common Approaches Rev. 1 - October 27, 2003

Cover letter and NGO Working Group Official Comments on the Draft OECD recommendation on Common Approaches on Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits: 2003 Review – Revised version 1

"Race to the Bottom, Take II" (September 2003)

This report critiques Revision 6 of the OECD Common Approaches on environment and export credits, and documents nine projects (including the Cernavoda2 nuclear power plant and the Three Gorges dam) which have had devastating environmental, social and human rights impacts, and which have all received (or will soon recieve) funding by Export Credit Agencies, including Canada's EDC. The report argues that the Common Approaches did little to mitigate the devastating social, environmental and human rights impacts of ECA-funded projects.

"Damming Evidence - Canada and the World Commission on Dams" (June 2003)

The Report asks why Canada, which has a record of financing large dam projects through EDC and CIDA, chose to give $100,000 to support the World Commission on Dams, but has failed to implement its recommendations. The report gives a brief overview of the WCD recommendations, and compares them with EDC and CIDA's policies with regards to the environment.

Review of "Damming Evidence" (2003)

Read this review in World Rivers Review, the newsletter for International Rivers Network, of "Damming Evidence: Canada and the World Commission on Dams."

"Seven Deadly Secrets: What Export Development Canada does not want you to know" (January 2003)

This report documents seven projects being pursued by Canadian companies abroad that will have negative environmental, social and human rights impacts. It includes a more detailed critique of EDC?s environment and disclosure policies.

Linking Investment and Human Rights (December 2002)

Linking Investment and Human Rights: the case of export credit agencies
This seminar held in London, England, in December 2002, looked at various methodologies for taking human rights into account in investment projects, and determining ways that these can be applied to export credit agencies.

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