Diamonds
National roundtables on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries: advisory group report
Recommendations for a CSR framework for Canadian extractive-sector companies
Authors:
; National Roundtable Advisory Group
Publisher:
Foreign Affairs Canada, Canada, 2007
This report presents agreed findings and recommendations on how Canada can enhance corporate social responsibility (CSR) in its extractive industry working in developing countries. The report reflects the view of those who participated in four National Roundtables on CSR from both the public and from governmental and non-governmental experts. The report sets out steps that the Advisory Group believe the Government of Canada, industry, financial institutions, the investment community, pension funds, and civil society should take to enhance the CSR performance of Canadian extractive-sector companies working in developing countries.
The central recommendation in the report concerns the development of a Canadian CSR Framework. Advisory Group members urge the Government of Canada, in cooperation with key stakeholders, to adopt a set of CSR Standards that Canadian extractive-sector companies operating abroad are expected to meet and that is reinforced through appropriate reporting, compliance and other mechanisms.
The main components of the Canadian CSR Framework and their key attributes, as recommended in the report, are:
- the Canadian CSR Standards, for initial application, based on existing international standards that are supported by ongoing multi-stakeholder and multilateral dialogue
- CSR reporting obligations based on the Global Reporting Initiative, or its equivalent during an initial phase-in period, at a level that reflects the size of the operation
- an independent ombudsman office to provide advisory services, fact finding and reporting regarding complaints with respect to the operations in developing countries of Canadian extractive companies
- a tripartite Compliance Review Committee to determine the nature and degree of company non-compliance with the Canadian CSR Standards, based upon findings of the ombudsman with respect to complaints, and to make recommendations regarding appropriate responses in such cases
- the development of policies and guidelines for measuring serious failure by a company to meet the Canadian CSR Standards, including findings by the Compliance Review Committee
- a multi-stakeholder Canadian Extractive Sector Advisory Group to advise government on the implementation and further development of the Canadian CSR Framework.
