In principle, in a country that respects the rule of law, an ombud office is an independent body. The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise reports to the Prime Minister's Office.
Furthermore, the ombud doesn't have any real powers, since the ombud cannot conduct investigations on their own initiative or summon witnesses. In fact, the CORE website states, “We are allowed to collect your personal information by the Order in Council 2019‑1323. For most complaints, we will give your personal information to the Canadian company you have filed your complaint against.” That is one of the reasons why the people we work with don't file complaints at all. You will understand that no one dares file a complaint if opposing mining exploration in the Philippines puts people at risk of being red‑flagged, if they haven't already been.
The Canadian Ombudsman for Responsible Enterprise should therefore have the power to investigate, as a first step. More importantly, it should have the power to specify, after investigating events in a given case, what actions have been required of the company concerned.
That is why we are calling on the Canadian government and Export Development Canada to exercise due diligence and impose specific requirements when it comes to investing taxpayer dollars in companies.
Perhaps Rev Lisson would have something specific to add about the regulations that would be important to improve.