Ottawa just killed its own corporate accountability watchdog

Eliminating CORE weakens corporate accountability, leaving victims of alleged human rights abuses with fewer avenues for seeking justice

The federal government has eliminated the human rights watchdog responsible for investigating complaints involving Canadian companies operating abroad, weakening corporate accountability and leaving victims of alleged human rights abuses with one less avenue for seeking justice.

Established after years of lobbying by human rights organizations and activists, the Office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) investigated complaints involving alleged human rights abuses by Canadian companies operating overseas. Its elimination caught many of the groups that fought for its creation by surprise.

“Last Thursday (June 11), the Prime Minister announced Bill C-35, the Ban on Importing Goods Made with Forced Labour Act, making it illegal to import goods made with forced labour at any point in the supply chain,” Kiegan Irish, Development and Peace-Caritas Canada’s (DPCC) advocacy officer, told The Catholic Register. “At the same time, we learned that the decision to eliminate CORE had been made. This was a complete surprise to all of us who had complained about human rights abuses in the Global South by Canadian companies.”

CORE was established by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government to investigate human rights abuses, including the use of forced labour by industry. While the federal government is strengthening laws aimed at preventing imports produced through forced labour, it has chosen to eliminate, rather than strengthen, the office responsible for investigating complaints involving Canadian companies.

Irish said DPCC spent years mobilizing Canadians to press for stronger corporate accountability and works with partners throughout the Global South, assisting communities affected by abuse. He described CORE’s elimination as a blow to those efforts and said many Catholics supported the campaign because they viewed corporate accountability as consistent with Catholic social teaching.

“When CORE was established in 2019, we saw it as a victory, but it was a hollow victory because the ombudsperson had very little power to enforce accountability.”

CORE could investigate complaints but did not have the power to compel companies or witnesses to provide documents or testimony. Advocates argued those powers were essential if the office was to hold companies accountable.

Advocates spent years pressing Ottawa to strengthen the office rather than abolish it. In September 2015, DPCC organized a rally on Parliament Hill calling on Ottawa to strengthen the office, but no government action followed the petition presented by DPCC and its Canadian Network for Corporate Accountability (CNCA) partners. Instead of strengthening or replacing CORE with a more effective watchdog, the government eliminated it, leaving complainants with even fewer options.

Catherine Coumans of Mining Watch, another CNCA member organization, pointed to the irony of people seeking refuge in Canada because of alleged human rights abuses involving Canadian companies in their own countries. She cited Balochistan as an example of why independent oversight remains necessary. Balochistan, a remote region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, is where a Canadian mining project has become the focus of allegations involving local communities, human rights and the environment. Mining Watch and other organizations have also raised concerns about enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and violence in the region. Barrick Gold, a Canadian mining company, has been accused of violating local rights, while activists have also protested the Pakistani military’s role in providing security for such companies.

One such activist is Lateef Johar, who sought asylum in Canada after supporting the separatist movement and protesting Barrick Gold. Now living in Toronto, he has filed several complaints with CORE and said he learned the office was being abolished just as his complaint against Barrick Gold was nearing completion.

“The news of CORE’s elimination was deeply concerning to many and shocking to the petitioners, including me.”

People affected by the overseas activities of Canadian companies often have few practical avenues for seeking accountability. Coumans said complainants should have been informed before the decision was made.

Eliminating CORE represents a significant retreat from Canada’s commitment to corporate accountability, leaving victims of alleged human rights abuses with fewer avenues for seeking accountability.

Susan Korah is an award-winning Canadian journalist and the Ottawa correspondent for The Catholic Register. A recognized expert on human rights, religious persecution, and federal policy, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her dedicated reporting on these critical issues.