Evidence of meeting #41 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was company.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
There is no review process right now, so I can't say.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
So in the scenario, company X is mining in the country and people have concerns about their behaviour. Those concerns are brought forward to you, and we find out that EDC is supporting that company. I would think you would go to both the company and to EDC, as an interested party. What you're saying is that right now you're not sure if there's a requirement for EDC to cooperate or if they have the same right of refusal as a private company. That hasn't been reviewed?
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
Nothing has been clarified because there is no process in place. I would fully expect that they would want to do that, but I can't say that.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I'm just not aware of the full scope of your mandate at this point. You're saying those rules haven't been put in place.
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
That's right, the rules haven't been put in place.
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
As I said in my remarks, I think the process of constructing actually needs to be taken very seriously; otherwise we risk creating yet another review mechanism that nobody feels is credible or useful. I've certainly heard those kinds of comments about other review mechanisms, right? So what's the point? It has to be used in order to be useful.
NDP
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
No, we're going to construct the process, as I mentioned in my remarks, in a very collaborative fashion, in a way that is completely open and transparent, that will allow everybody to come in and say what would need to be true for this process to be considered credible, constructive, and useful for all the parties.
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
I don't have one.
Counsellor, Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor
There's no process. There are no rules of procedure.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you very much, Mr. Dewar and Ms. Evans. We very much appreciate your testimony here today.
That concludes our time. We have a few more moments to go into committee business, if you choose. The other thing on the 15 minutes is that there is no one meeting here after our meeting, so if you want to continue--
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I would put forward a request to vote on the motion we have before this committee.
November 24th, 2009 / 10:55 a.m.
Conservative
NDP
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We don't. We have a motion to adjourn.
Are we all in favour of that motion to adjourn? Opposed?
The meeting is adjourned.
