Preventing human rights abuses at Canadian mining projects abroad

This project examines the issue of human rights violations by Canadian mining companies operating in weak governance zones around the world. While Canada has implemented policies to enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and established a CSR office and the Canadian Ombudsperson of Responsible Enterprise (CORE) to improve accountability, these tools lack adequate mechanisms to prevent abuses at foreign mining projects. The project uses a comparative analysis approach to understand the nature of violations and the disconnect between company policies and their public track record. The analysis finds that companies with comprehensive policies in place usually need to be more robust in ensuring human rights are protected. The Canadian courts have filled the accountability gap by trying human rights cases against Canadian mining companies in jurisdictions where a fair trial is unlikely. This study recommends a policy bundle that includes a social audit mechanism and a foreign assistance program to build community capacity. Both are implemented in a staggered approach to increase Canadian capacity to uphold human rights at mining sites.