Evidence of meeting #17 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ncp.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Over 20 years, you've had 20 cases that you've expanded. The CORE, of course, has not had any to date. You will work closely together on coordinating how you deal with the cases that come forward, is that correct?
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Yes, we are working actively on that.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Do you feel that could pose some risk to the independence of the CORE ombudsperson? Might it, in fact, either deprive her of the independence she should have or give the appearance of a lack of independence?
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
The CORE has been established to advise the minister directly, which is different from the NCP, yet we have been asked complement each other, that is, to work with complementarity. We would like to be able to refer cases to the CORE when they fall within her mandate, and I believe that the CORE may receive cases that would fall outside her mandate but could be referred to the NCP. We're working on how we can ensure that those procedures are complementary and that they do not create additional burdens for complainants.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Thank you, Ms. Moran.
There are so many questions I'd like to ask you, and so much information I'd like to get.
One of the things we heard last week that I found most disturbing was from the impacted communities. We heard that they were not going to come forward to the CORE because they felt that the lack of power to compel testimony, the lack of power to compel witnesses, meant that it would actually be worse for them. We've heard from other impacted communities that coming to the NCP has left them in a worse state because they've used their relatively limited resources to do that. They've endangered themselves for very little result.
What would you say to those impacted communities that are watching a Canadian company come in and ruin their climate, ruin their environment, break their laws, destroy human rights, and yet they don't feel it is worth their while to come to either the NCP or to the CORE ombudsperson.
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
What I would say is that I would encourage those NGOs to consider the NCP. I know that—
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Not the NGOs. I meant the impacted communities, the actual people impacted. Sorry.
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
In the impacted communities represented usually by groups, I would ask them to consider working with the NCP to resolve those issues.
NDP
Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Can you tell me if you have had any interactions with impacted communities, with people who have been directly impacted by Canadian extractive industries?
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Yes, I have.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
You have 20 seconds, so we're moving to the second round right now.
To Ms. Moran and to members, we'll move to the second round, and just looking at the time, it will be three minutes per questioner.
We will begin with the Liberals and MP Sidhu for three minutes.
Liberal
Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Ms. Moran. It's nice to see you here.
Ms. Moran, beyond the role of CORE, what other responsible business practice measures does Canada have?
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
The CORE is the latest in our commitment to responsible business conduct. The NCP, as I noted, is another non-judicial conflict resolution mechanism, but again, we are part of a broader framework, so there are many policies and in fact there are some legal instruments as well that exist.
I believe you are aware of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, as well as the change to the customs tariff. There are many other policies as well that underscore and really reinforce that expectation on Canadian companies.
Liberal
Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON
Thank you for that, Ms. Moran
How do you work with Canadian businesses to promote and/or ensure good practices with the business community?
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
The NCP is housed at Global Affairs Canada, and as you know, Global Affairs Canada operates embassies abroad. So we are working with our colleagues on the development side, the foreign policy side, as well as trade promotion, to leverage all of the knowledge there. We are working with Canadian diplomats prior to their posting abroad to emphasize to them the importance of these issues to Canada, and also to make them aware of the expectation, the mechanisms and the various tools at their disposal.
Liberal
Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON
Thank you for that.
How does the NCP case review process work? I know you touched on that in your opening remarks, but I'm hoping you can provide some further insights into the NCP case review process.
Director General, Trade Portfolio Strategy and Coordination, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
The NCP is a voluntary process. We abide by OECD procedures. As we committed to do, we have signed on to operate an NCP that aligns to the procedures established. When we receive a complaint—it's called a “request for review”—we work with the complainant to ensure that the information is complete and that we understand the situation. We then reach out to the company, indicate that we've received this and ask them to respond.
Following an assessment to consider the facts in the case, we examine whether or not we believe that the guidelines would be furthered by offering conflict resolution. It is an iterative process and we aim to ensure that we are receiving information from both sides.
Liberal
Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON
Thank you for that.
Mr. Chair, how many seconds do I have left? Twenty seconds?
Liberal
Maninder Sidhu Liberal Brampton East, ON
Okay. I'll just take this opportunity to thank Ms. Moran for her time today. It's great to see everyone this evening.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Thank you, MP Sidhu.
Now we're moving to the Conservatives and MP Gray for three minutes.
Conservative
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here, Ms. Moran, and thank you for the work you do.
Thank you for the information that you gave, going into more detail about your roles and authorities. It does sound like there's a lot of crossover with CORE, although there are some differences.
Has the government given you the opportunity to expand your mandate?