On May 3 - 4, 2012, the faculties of Latin American Studies at SFU and UBC held a 'Global Capital, Global Rights' workshop. Karyn Keenan, Program Officer at the Halifax Initiative, presented a paper on Bill C-300 entitled, "Desperately Seeking Sanction: Canadian Extractive Companies and their Public Partners." The paper is available below.

SFU / UBC 'Global Capital, Global Rights' workshop:
http://globalcapitalglobalrights.wordpress.com/about/

Tax: The Forgotten Element of Development
The Halifax Initiative was one of the sponsors of a “Fair Tax Summit” last month in Ottawa. More than 180 people attended, along with international colleagues from the United Kingdom, Kenya and the United States. The conference examined a variety of issues including carbon taxes, corporate taxation, provincial and municipal taxation, as well as the serious problem of tax avoidance and evasion.

OLCA Communications
Santiago - Huasco Valley, Chile
March 15, 2012

 In 2010, Barrick Gold requested financing for the Pascua Lama mine from a public financing agency in the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and months later, from Export Development Canada (EDC). Communities affected by the gold megaproject sent information to both public institutions regarding the company’s operations and requested that the financing be denied. Two years later, Barrick has withdrawn its requests. 

Energy Poverty, Climate Change & the World Bank
The United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Access to energy is a cornerstone to meeting basic livelihood needs, and holds enormous implications for health, gender equality and climate change. Throughout the Global South, 2.7 billion people rely on traditional biomass for cooking. The use of wood, coal and agricultural waste in rudimentary cooking stoves causes more than 1.5 million deaths each year from chronic lung disease and child pneumonia. Deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa, a key source of CO2 emissions, is largely due to the use of wood for cooking and in charcoal production.

December 9, 2011

Re: Criticism of Environmental, Social and Human Rights Due Diligence by Export Development Canada and the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

Dear Sirs and Madams:**

We are writing to express our serious concern about the environmental and social due diligence process employed by Export Development Canada and the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The process lacks transparency, neutrality and credibility.

ECA-Watch  is an international civil society network formed in 2000 to promote enhanced transparency and accountability regarding the operations of export credit agencies.

In recent years, the UN Human Rights Council has focused attention on the important link between public financial institutions and human rights. As a consequence, there is now greater awareness that the state duty to protect human rights contemplates the operations of state institutions, including export credit agencies. Despite this clarity, export credit agencies continue to finance exports and investments that are associated with human rights abuse. More work is needed to guide state action in this area. ECA-Watch urges the Working Group to further the Human Rights Council’s initiative in this area, and welcomes the opportunity for collaboration in this regard.

Transparency and the International Economy
One of the key issues underlying the 2008 financial crisis was the lack of transparency in the international economy. Over the last several decades, a “shadow” financial structure has developed comprised of tax havens, secrecy jurisdictions, disguised corporations, shell companies and bogus foundations. This system is now so large that half of all global trade and capital movements pass through it. Since secrecy is its defining feature, the shadow economy is used for money laundering and the movement of corrupt, criminal and commercial tax- evading money across borders.  

Brussels, Tuesday 8 November

Mr. Steve Tvardik
Head, Export Credits Division
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Paris, France

Dear Mr. Tvardik and members of ECG,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the review of the Revised Recommendation on Common Approaches on the Environment and Officially Supported Export Credits (Common Approaches). Please find below our comments.

Best wishes,
Deborah Lambert-Perez for ECA-Watch

To read submission, click here.

I’d like to begin by identifying several elements in the Guiding Principles that are useful to assess the current legal and policy framework in Canada regarding human rights and the overseas operations of Canadian extractive companies.