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Corporate Social Responsibility in the Mineral Industry • Issues & Advocacy
Page Index
Overview of CSR
Centre for Excellence in Corporate
Social Responsibility
e3 Plus: A Framework for Responsible Exploration
National Roundtables on CSR and the Canadian extractive industry in
developing countries
Bill C-300, An Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the
Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries
Sustainable development and corporate social responsibility: Tools,
codes and standards for the mineral exploration industry
Overview of CSR
Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, has become one of the most
important issues facing the exploration and mining industry. The “above
ground” issues can now be equally, if not more, complex and challenging
than the ones normally encountered below ground. Exploration and mining
companies are expected to adhere to the tenets of CSR and to recognize
that they have a duty of care to all their stakeholders, including
employees, customers, local communities, and shareholders. The history
of CSR is strongly intertwined with the emergence over the past forty
years of the environment as a worldwide concern and the eventual
transformation of the term into “sustainable development” which
incorporates social issues alongside environmental and development ones.
A good background article on the evolution of CSR is
here.
Centre for Excellence in CSR
The Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, officially
launched on January 13, 2010, is one of four pillars of the Canadian
government’s action plan,
Building the Canadian Advantage: A Corporate Social Responsibility
Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector
announced in March 2009. The objective of this web-based resource is to
be a repository for information on CSR tools, rules, laws and best
practices. The site will also contain practical information and advice
on foreign countries, local networks and relevant experiences of
Canadian companies, civil society and other stakeholders working abroad.
Click here to
access the site.
e3 Plus: A Framework for Responsible
Exploration
In March 2009, the PDAC launched e3 Plus: A Framework for
Responsible Exploration to help exploration companies continuously
improve their social, environmental, and health and safety performance
and to integrate these three aspects into all of their exploration
programs. Click here to go to
the e3 Plus page.
National Roundtables on CSR and the Canadian extractive industry in
developing countries
In a series of four national roundtables organized by the Government of
Canada during 2006, the actions of Canadian petroleum and mining
companies active abroad were examined in relation to their demonstrating
corporate social responsibility. The objective of the roundtables, held
in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary, was to generate a report to
Parliament presenting “recommendations for government, NGOs
(non-governmental organizations), labour organizations, businesses and
industry associations on ways to strengthen approaches to managing the
external impacts of international business activities to benefit both
businesses and the communities within which they work.” Specifically,
the roundtables looked at measures that could be taken during the
following one to three years to enable Canadian extractive sector
companies operating in developing countries to meet or exceed leading
CSR best practices. Background to the roundtables.
The final report of the roundtable advisory group,
National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the
Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries, was released on
March 29, 2007. Two years later, in March 2009, the Government of Canada
responded by releasing Building the Canadian Advantage: A CSR Strategy
for the International Extractive Sector. Under the new policy, the
government commits to the following:
-
Supporting initiatives to enhance the
capacities of developing countries to manage the development of
minerals and oil and gas and to benefit from these resources to
reduce poverty.
-
Promoting international CSR performance
guidelines.
-
Setting up the office of the extractive sector
CSR counsellor to assist stakeholders in the resolution of CSR
issues.
-
Supporting the development of a CSR Centre of
Excellence.
The full text of the federal government’s CSR
policy is
here.
The PDAC responded to the federal government’s CSR
policy on April 30, 2009. In its response, which contains eleven
recommendations, the association points out that it shares the same goal
as the federal government and other stakeholders: “to encourage and
enable performance improvements in CSR for Canadian companies operating
both domestically and abroad, in a transparent and accountable manner.”
However, the association states, CSR is only one part of the equation.
“The other critical component is host-country governance
capacity-building. Reducing the risk of conflict and optimizing the
benefits of exploration and mining in developing countries will require
attention to both areas if meaningful progress in this complex area is
going to be achieved.”
The full text of the PDAC’s response is
here.
Bill C-300, An Act respecting
Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in
Developing Countries
Bill C-300 is a private member’s bill, tabled in the House of Commons by
John McKay (Lib., Scarborough-Guildwood) on February 9, 2009. A copy of
the bill is here.
The bill says Canadian government support to companies in the extractive
sectors must be contingent on the highest corporate social
responsibility (CSR) standards for human rights and the environment.
‘Support’ includes financial and political support through trade
commissioners, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade, Export Development Canada, and the Canada Pension Plan.
The bill received two one-hour debates in the House
of Commons before being referred to the Standing Committee on Foreign
Affairs and International Trade. Over the fall of 2009, the committee
held hearings, and a request for a 30-day extension to accommodate the
wide range of witnesses and to complete its clause-by-clause review of
the bill was granted. On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, Tony Andrews, PDAC
executive director, and Bernarda Elizalde, program director, sustainable
development, appeared before the committee. A news release on their
appearance is
here.
The PDAC is committed to the highest levels of CSR
but is opposed to Bill C-300. In its
submission to the federal government, the association says that
the bill endorses a punitive approach to CSR, encouraging unfounded
allegations of wrongdoing that can damage the reputations of companies
and force them to incur significant costs to defend themselves. The
association’s view is that progress in CSR can result from a
collaborative, sophisticated approach and that measures currently being
taken by industry, such as
e3 Plus, and proposed in the
government’s
CSR strategy
will be more effective.
Sustainable development and corporate social responsibility: Tools,
codes and standards for the mineral exploration industry
In early 2007, the PDAC developed a special publication that summarizes
36 national and international CSR codes, standards and tools. The
resources in the publication were selected for their particular
usefulness and value to the mineral exploration sector. The publication
is divided into three sections. The first contains those resources of
most practical use to companies, e.g., checklists and guides. The second
section contains codes, standards and guidelines developed by
international agencies (some of these are specific to the mineral
industry; others are of more general application). The third section
comprises background material that provides the context for sustainable
development and CSR.
Click here for a copy.
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