Canada Releases Renewed CSR Strategy For Extractive Sector: Three Things You Need To Know

A new CSR strategy for the Canadian mining and oil and gas sectors has been released by the Government of Canada, imposing new consequences on companies who refuse to adhere to endorsed CSR best practices and dispute resolution processes. Here are three things you need to know about this new development affecting Canadian extractive companies in their global operations.

BACKGROUND

On November 14, Minister of International Trade Ed Fast announced a new Government of Canada initiative: "Doing Business the Canadian Way: A Strategy to Advance Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada's Extractive Sector Abroad" (the CSR Strategy).

This announcement followed on a review of the Government of Canada's original corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy for the extractive sector released in 2009. That strategy included the creation of the Office of the Extractive Sector CSR Counsellor (CSR Counsellor), a non-judicial grievance mechanism with a primary mandate to