Canada created a watchdog agency in 2019 to investigate human rights abuses overseas involving Canadian corporations, including leading mining concerns. It was called the office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE). But for more than a year, its top position remained vacant.Mongabay reported earlier this month that the office had at least 24 active complaints and that additional communities around the world were ready to make complaints once the office was properly staffed.Now, in a move that stunned observers and drawn sharp criticism from activists, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he has closed the agency.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last week that the government eliminated an office created to probe overseas human rights complaints about Canadian corporations, including mining conglomerates. This comes only months after the foreign affairs minister said the office was “important.”
The announcement shocked environmental and human rights nonprofit organizations and those who said they have faced personal risk to alert Canadian authorities about actions by corporations based in the country.
The Canadian government created the office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) in 2019 to evaluate complaints about alleged human rights abuses by Canadian companies operating abroad in the garment, mining, and oil and gas sectors.
