As part of Prof. Imai\u27s push to encourage the government to establish an ombudsperson for the extractive sector

Imai, Shin

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Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada: Signed by Eighty-Six Proffesors Calling For Independent Investigation of Allegations Against Mining Companies

York University, Osgoode Hall Law School

Osgoode Hall Law School of York UniversityOsgoode Digital CommonsNews, Editorials, and Commentaries Faculty Scholarship3-14-2017Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada:Signed by Eighty-Six Proffesors Calling ForIndependent Investigation of Allegations AgainstMining CompaniesShin ImaiOsgoode Hall Law School of York University, simai@osgoode.yorku.caFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/public_writingPart of the Law CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Osgoode Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inNews, Editorials, and Commentaries by an authorized administrator of Osgoode Digital Commons.Recommended CitationImai, Shin, "Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada: Signed by Eighty-Six Proffesors Calling For Independent Investigation ofAllegations Against Mining Companies" (2017). News, Editorials, and Commentaries. 137.http://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/public_writing/137 March 14, 2017 The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2 Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,  We, the undersigned professors, call on the Canadian government to enact legislation to establish a credible and effective independent ombudsperson to investigate and hear complaints about Canadian extractive companies operating abroad. The Liberal party made this commitment during the election campaign. There is now a proposal before your government to bring in legislation that would give an ombudsperson powers similar to other bodies, such as the Privacy Commissioner and the Information Commissioner. The proposed ombudsperson would have the power to: investigate allegations of human rights harm by Canadian extractive companies; recommend conditioning government support on corporate respect for human rights; and to recommend remedies for victims of such harm. It would also have the power to monitor subsequent corporate conduct and follow up on compliance with such remedies. Importantly, the proposed mechanism would meet the requirements of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for non-judicial grievance mechanisms. It would comply with the principles of legitimacy, accessibility, predictability, equitability, transparency, rights-compatibility and being a source of continuous learning. Canada is home to 75% of the world’s largest mining and exploration companies as well as many medium to large-sized oil & gas companies. Many of these companies operate in the developing world. In 2009 a report, commissioned by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, found that of 171 high profile incidents involving mining companies over the last decade, 34 per cent of the implicated companies were Canadian. These incidents involved conflict with local communities, environmental and human rights abuses, as well as unethical behaviour. The report also noted that Canadian companies were involved in four times as many incidents as their closest peers in Australia and the UK. A 2016 report of the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project at Osgoode Hall Law School documented 100 incidents of violence associated with Canadian extractive companies operating in Latin America between 2000 and 2015.  Canada’s Enhanced CSR Strategy signals a recognition of these problems. The ombudsperson legislation is the next logical step, and an essential one in addressing extractive company conduct abroad. The creation of an ombudsperson must be undertaken together with reforms to strengthen Canada’s OECD National Contact Point, which are long overdue. UN treaty bodies, as well as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, have all called on your government to regulate Canadian extractive companies operating abroad. Other states have recognized the need to ‘step up’ and Canada is lagging behind. Just last week, the French Parliament voted to require large French companies to publish ‘due diligence’ plans that demonstrate the steps they are taking to prevent human rights abuses in their operations and supply chains.  We applaud your government’s commitment to the international protection and promotion of human rights. Enacting the proposed ombudsperson legislation would be a significant first step toward ensuring that neither Canadian extractive companies nor the Canadian economy profit from human rights abuses and other harms committed in other countries.  Signed: Penelope Simons  Associate Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa psimons@uottawa.ca Shin Imai Associate Professor Osgoode Hall Law School York University simai@osgoode.yorku.ca  Charis Kamphuis Assistant Professor Faculty of Law  Thompson Rivers University ckamphuis@tru.ca  Richard Janda Associate Professor Faculty of Law and Associate Member of the McGill School of Environment McGill University   Audrey Macklin Director, Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies  Chair in Human Rights Law University of Toronto Sara Seck Associate Professor Western Law University of Western Ontario Chris Tollefson Professor Faculty of Law University of Victoria  Jennie Abell Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa  Sharry Aiken Associate Professor Faculty of Law Queen’s University  Nigel Bankes Professor and Chair of Natural Resources Law Faculty of Law University of Calgary  Margaret E. Beare Professor Law and Sociology York University  Adelle Blackett Professor of Law & Canada Research Chair in Transnational Labour Law and Development Professeure de droit titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en Droit transnational du travail et développement Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law  Université McGill University  Angela Cameron Associate Professor Shirley Greenberg Professor of Women in the Legal Profession Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa  Bonnie Campbell Professor Faculty of Political Science and Law Université du Québec à Montréal  Eduardo Canel Associate Professor Director, Graduate Program in Development Studies Department of Social Science Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies York University  Vincent Caron Professeur Section de droit civil / Civil Law Section Faculté de droit / Faculty of Law Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa  Nathalie Chalifour Associate Professor Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa  Lynda Collins Centre for Environmental Law & Global Sustainability Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa  Deborah Curran Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law and School of Environmental Studies Acting Executive Director, Environmental Law Centre University of Victoria  Aaron A. Dhir  Associate Professor Osgoode Hall Law School York University  Meinhard Doelle Professor of Law & Associate Dean, Research Schulich School of Law  Dalhousie University  Patricia Doyle Bedwell  Associate Professor Indigenous Studies College of Continuing Education Dalhousie University  Peter R Elson Adjunct Assistant Professor School of Public Administration University of Victoria and Senior Research Fellow Institute for Community Prosperity Mount Royal University  Gail Fraser Associate Professor Faculty of Environmental Studies York University  Isabel Grant Professor Allard School of Law University of British Columbia  Julia Grignon Professeure adjointe Codirectrice de la Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire Codirectrice du Centre international de recherche sur l'Afrique et le Moyen Orient Université Laval  Ricardo Grinspun  Associate Professor Department of Economics  Fellow, Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC)  Coordinator, International Development Studies Program  York University  Vanessa Gruben   Associate Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa  Kregg Hetherington Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology Concordia University  Allan C. Hutchinson Distinguished Research Professor Osgoode Hall Law School  York University Martha Jackman Professor Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de common law/ Common Law Section Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Rebecca Johnson Professor Faculty of Law University of Victoria F. Tim Knight Associate Librarian Osgoode Hall Law School  York University Freya Kodar Associate Professor Faculty of Law University of Victoria Fannie Lafontaine Professeure titulaire Faculté de droit Université Laval François J Larocque Associate Professor Doyen par intérim | Interim Dean Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de common law/ Common Law Section Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Louis Lefeber Professor of Economics and Graduate Program for Social and Political Thought (emeritus) York University Fabiana Li Associate Professor Department of Anthropology University of Manitoba Carol Liao Assistant Professor Faculty of Law University of Victoria Jamie Liew Assistant Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Katherine Lippel  Chaire de recherche du Canada en droit de la santé et de la sécurité du travail/Canada Research Chair on Occupational Health and Safety Law Faculté de droit / Faculty of Law Section droit civil/ Civil Law Section Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa Mary Liston Assistant Professor Allard School of Law University of British Columbia Jason MacLean Assistant Professor Bora Laskin Faculty of Law Lakehead University Constance MacIntosh Associate Professor Schulich School of Law Dalhousie University Heather McLeod-Kilmurray Associate Professor Centre for Environmental Law and Global Sustainability Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Kent McNeil Emeritus Professor Osgoode Hall Law School York University Johnny Mack Assistant Professor Allard School of Law & First Nations and Indigenous Studies University of British Columbia Ravi Malhotra Associate Professor/Professeur Agrégé Faculty of Law/Faculté de Droit Common Law Section/Section de Common Law University of Ottawa/Université d'Ottawa Naiomi W. Metallic Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy Assistant Professor Schulich School of Law Dalhousie University Nick E. Milanovic Adjunct Research Professor Department of Law and Legal Studies Carleton University Sarah Morales Professeure adjointe /Assistant Professor  Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law  Section de common law / Common Law Section Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa Mary Jane Mossman Professor of Law  Osgoode Hall Law School York University Matthew Murphy Assistant Professor of Sustainability & Strategy Gustavson School of Business University of Victoria Catherine Nolin Associate Professor and Chair Geography University of Northern British Columbia Obiora Chinedu Okafor Professor & York Research Chair in International and Transnational Legal Studies Osgoode Hall Law School York University Peter Oliver Professor  Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de common law/ Common Law Section Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Philip Oxhorn Professor of Political Science Department of Political Science McGill University Palma Paciocco Assistant Professor Osgoode Hall Law School York University Pamela D. Palmater Associate Professor and Chair in Indigenous Governance Ryerson University Mona Paré Professeure agrégée / Associate Professor Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de droit civil/Civil Law Section Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa Marina Pavlovic Assistant Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Astrid V. Pérez Piñán  Assistant Professor School of Public Administration Faculty of Social and Human Development University of Victoria Stephen D. Rader Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry University of Northern British Columbia Darryl Robinson Associate Professor Faculty of Law Queen’s University David Robitaille Professeur agrégé/Associate Professor Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de droit civil/Civil Law Section Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa Rakhi Ruparelia Associate Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Douglas Sanderson Associate Professor   Faculty of Law University of Toronto Teresa Scassa Professor and Canada Research Chair in Information Law Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de common law/ Common Law Section Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Craig Scott  Professor of Law Osgoode Hall Law School  York University  Dayna Nadine Scott Associate Professor Osgoode Hall Law School and the Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University Dr. Karena Shaw Associate Professor and Director School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria  Alberto R. Salazar V. Assistant Professor Department of Law and Legal Studies Carleton University Elizabeth Sheehy Professor of Law Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Brian Slattery Professor of Law Osgoode Hall Law School York University Daviken Studnicki-Gizbert Associate Professor Department of History McGill University Érick Sullivan Directeur adjoint de la Clinique de droit international pénal et humanitaire Faculté de droit Université Laval David Szablowski Associate Professor Law and Society Program York University François Tanguay-Renaud Associate Professor Director, Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security Osgoode Hall Law School York University Sophie Thériault Professeure agrégée / Associate Professor Faculté de droit/Faculty of Law Section de droit civil/Civil Law Section Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa Eric Tucker Professor of Law Osgoode Hall Law School York University Gus Van Harten Professor Osgoode Hall Law School York University David Vaver, CM Professor of Intellectual Property Law Osgoode Hall Law School York University Joao Velloso Professeur adjoint / Assistant Professor Faculté de droit | Faculty of Law Section de common law | Common Law Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa Cynthia Williams Osler Chair in Business Law Osgoode Hall Law School York University David Wiseman Associate Professor Faculty of Law/Faculté de droit Common Law Section/Section de common law University of Ottawa/Université d’Ottawa Stepan Wood Professor and York Research Chair in Environmental Law and Justice  Osgoode Hall Law School  York University Anna Zalik Associate Professor Faculty of Environmental Studies York University     

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Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada: Signed by Eighty-Six Proffesors Calling For Independent Investigation of Allegations Against Mining Companies

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