Will A Federal CSR Ombudsman Be Created?

The federal government has recently signalled that it is considering  creating a federal Corporate Social Responsibility ("CSR") Ombudsperson. This person would investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Canadian corporations acting abroad.

There have been allegations of human rights and other abuses perpetrated by Canadian companies, particularly those in the resource extraction industry, in their global operations.

Currently, a federal CSR Counsellor exists to assist people to "reduce and to constructively resolve conflict between project-affected communities and Canadian extractive sector companies outside of Canada." In essence, the CSR counsellor provides advice and dispute resolution assistance when Canadian companies in the extractive resource industry have been accused of improper or illegal behaviour in their overseas operations.