Export Development Canada (EDC)

1
Public support for the Extractive Sector myth
or reality?

• Export Development Canada (EDC)
• World Bank Group (WBG)
• Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)
• Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC)
• Canadian Pension Plan (CPP)
• Canada Investment Fund for Africa (CIFA)
• Embassies Team Canada CIDA/Inc.

2
Public supportplus

• Quantitativeand qualitative
• EDC, WBG, MDBs leverage additional capital
• Promote trade and investment (NOT development
  and HR) myopic lacks coherence
• BUT public institutions, using public capital,
  and should be acting in the broader public
  interest
• Responsibility of the government to regulate the
  activities and impacts of these institutions

3
Addressing the Environment Human Rights where
are the gaps?

• EDC Environmental review PRA (cf. ECGD)
• WBG Performance Standards HRIA (cf. Danish
  Institute, International Alert, RD)
• MDBs Safeguards (cf. IDB, EBRD HR screen)
• CCC Environmental Review Framework
• CPP Policy on responsible lending UN
  Principles for responsible investment (cf.
  Norway)
• CIFA Investment criteria (cf. Equator
  Principles Ethical investment Funds)

4
Actionable Ideas General Specific

• Given these gaps, the Canadian government should
• not provide public support through the bilateral
  and multilateral public financial institutions
  for projects that violate Canadian, or host
  country, international environmental and HR
  obligations EBRD Finance
• This would require the government to
• play a lead role in pushing the WBG and MDBs to
  mainstream HR EIR Danino Sweden, Norway.
• report on these efforts in Annual Reports on the
  BWIs, and MDBs to Parliament - EBRD

5
Actionable ideas - Specific

• amend the ED Act to require EDC to assess HR
  issues, and the CP Act to require the CPP IB to
  assess social, environmental and HR issues
  Delcredere Norway
• following amendments, establish a public process
  to develop protocols to implement these
  assessments, and appropriately staffed and
  resourced Units to conduct the assessments - EDC
• develop an independent ombudsman mechanism to
  receive complaints, advise government
  institutions, and mediate between groups to
  ensure the appropriate application of the above
  policies and practice - Oxfam
• develop a screen for CIFA and CCC

6
Contact Details

• Fraser Reilly-King
• Coordinator, Halifax Initiative Coalition
• 153 Chapel Street,
• Ottawa, ON K1N 1H4
• Tel [phone]
• freillyking_at_halifaxinitiative.org
• www.halifaxinitiative.org