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Corporate social responsibility office “legitimate and important,” organization says
OTTAWA — The association that represents Canada’s largest mining companies is urging the Conservative government to quickly replace the corporate social responsibility counsellor who resigned last week after four years on the job.
“The function her office provides is a legitimate and an important one,” said Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada. “She made some important contributions and the work has only begun.”
Marketa Evans — whose job it was to mediate disputes involving Canadian mining and extractive companies operating overseas — was appointed as part of the highly touted federal corporate social responsibility strategy, which has been in the spotlight along with the government’s increasing emphasis on private sector involvement in international development.
The federal government said it will continue to support the office “during this transition period” but it is not clear whether Evans will be replaced.
Gratton noted that the office deserves more time — and needs more money — to carry out its mandate. He also said the constant criticism made the job difficult.
“The approach she took, which was to be very open and transparent and engaging with civil society and industry and others, was quite courageous, particularly in the face of some very strong opposition and criticism. They just did not give her the chance. It is much harder to succeed when you’ve got a whole constituency trying to undermine you.”
The creation of a voluntary counsellor has been criticized as designed to fail.
Of six cases involving mining conflicts that came to her office, three were closed after the companies walked away, the most recent last month.
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