TORONTO - Canada's new Corporate Social Responsibility Office for the extractive sector officially open on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010. Marketa Evans was appointed a year ago as the first person to hold the office of CSR counsellor. Her mandate includes helping the Canadian mining and oil and gas industries meet and exceed their social and environmental responsibilities when operating in foreign countries. With the opening of the office, a formal review processes has been launched with the commitment that it be accessible, effective, independent, responsible, transparent and predictable.
"The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and our 7,000 individual and corporate members welcome [the] announcement that the independent corporate social responsibility counsellor has formally launched a review mechanism that is designed to encourage constructive dialogue, improve CSR performance, and support tangible results on the ground," said PDAC executive director Tony Andrews.
"The counsellor should have the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness and independence of the office before Parliament considers heading down a new path by passing Bill C-300, a private member's bill currently before the House of Commons, that will have a significant negative impact on Canadian exploration and mining companies and the thousands of jobs that they support in Canada and abroad," said Andrews.
The Mining Association of Canada also supports the counsellor, saying in a release, "MAC looks forward to continued collaboration with the office of the CSR counsellor to ensure that its review process leads to constructive dialogue, improves CSR performance and supports tangible results on the ground."
Gordon Peeling, MAC president and CEO, said, "While Canadian mining companies are global leaders in the area of CSR, they also recognize the need for continuous improvement in this area. Processes like that of the office of the CSR counsellor, which are grounded in internationally recognized performance standards ... have the potential to promote and facilitate this continuous improvement."
The new CSR Counsellor's office is located at 5110 - 1 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5J 2X5. You may telephone (416-973-2064), fax (416-973-2140) or email (csr-counsellor@international.gc.ca) to reach either Evans or senior advisor Erica Bach (erica.bach@international.gc.ca).
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