Thank you.
The mandate of the CSR counsellor for extractive industries as set out in the order in council is, we believe, complementary to the work currently being done by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade both here and abroad.
Her mandate is twofold. On the one hand, it's to review any issues that are brought to her attention regarding the behaviour of Canadian companies abroad, to look at those very carefully and to review them through a process that she is currently setting up, to engage in an informal examination of the issue, to undertake fact-finding, informal mediation, and to provide access to formal mediation, should that be appropriate. In addition, she will be reporting publicly on that at the appropriate stage in the review process.
The mandate that she will be implementing we believe will be an essential part of the overall strategy that was announced in March. It builds on the additional work that has been undertaken by the national contact point for OECD multinational enterprises, which, as I mentioned in the opening statement, is an interdepartmental committee chaired by this department. The order in council that sets out the CSR counsellor's mandate specifically addresses how the two mechanisms should work together.