The Canadian government’s elimination of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), announced on June 11, marks a significant step backwards in the fight for accountability for human rights abuses by Canadian companies.
The CORE, established in 2019, investigates rights abuses by Canadian companies operating abroad in the oil and gas, mining, and garment sectors. For example, the office has investigated links between Canadian mining and garment companies and Uyghur forced labor in China.
Prime Minister Mark Carney justified abolishing the ombudsperson’s office by pointing to its ineffectiveness. But the government’s lack of support for the role has seriously undermined the ombudsperson’s investigations.
The government has long denied the ombudsperson the power to compel witness testimony and document production from companies, a key tool for investigating often secretive and uncooperative businesses.
The ombudsperson position itself has also been vacant for more than a year, leaving remaining staff unable to move complaints forward. At least 36 complaints alleging corporate abuses had been awaiting decisions from the CORE, including additional cases of Uyghur forced labor in China and human rights violations related to oil and gas exploration in Namibia.
Canadian labor unions and civil society organizations have long fought for robust steps to tackle Canadian businesses’ human rights impacts, citing, among other things, the country’s outsized role in extractive industries worldwide.
In addition to eliminating the CORE, the government has so far failed to put forward legislation requiring companies to exercise due diligence to prevent rights abuses. On June 12, the government did announce legislation that it says will strengthen Canada’s existing prohibition on the import of goods linked to forced labor.
The CORE is an important part of the wider struggle to tackle corporate human rights abuses. Rather than eliminating the office, Prime Minister Carney should give it the personnel and investigative powers needed to shine a light on abusive businesses and provide justice to victims.
