Issued to coincide with the Auditor General's review of EDC's environmental policy, this

January 17, 2005

Mr. Fraser Reilly-King
NGO Working Group on EDC
153 Chapel Street. #104
Ottawa Ontario  K1N 1H5

Dear Mr. Reilly-King,

This refers to your letter of October 20 regarding the INCO Goro Nickel Mine in New Caledonia. First, I should point out that your correspondence referenced our letter dated January 7, 2003 to your enquiry of October 23, 2002; please note that you wrote us regarding INCO's plans for expansion in Indonesia, not New Caledonia, and our reply related to the same.

October 20, 2004

Mr. Gilles Ross
Acting President and CEO
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor Street
Ottawa, ON  K1A 1K3

Dear Mr. Ross,

We recognize the changes that EDC has made over the past few years to enhance transparency, increase consultation and ensure internal compliance.

It is in this context of openness that we are writing to inquire whether you are considering providing any sort of loan, insurance, guarantee or other form of financial assistance for the troubled Inco Goro Nickel mine in New Caledonia, a project which would appear to violate EDC’s environmental guidelines.

October 20, 2004

For pdf, click here.

Coalition Welcomes EDC Report, Warns Only First Step for Crown Corporation

Ottawa, September 16 – A Canadian coalition of development, environment, faith-based, human rights, and labour groups today welcomed the release of Export Development Canada’s Second Annual Chief Environmental Adviser’s Report, but warned that this is only a small step towards ensuring greater public accountability for the Crown Corporation.

“We are definitely encouraged that EDC chose to release this report for a second year running, and responded to earlier feedback by shedding a little more light on EDC’s internal workings”, said Fraser Reilly-King, Coordinator of the NGO Working Group on EDC. “But when you have to wait a year to get any substantive information relating to EDC’s environmental transactions, it becomes obvious how far they still have to go.”

August 23, 2004

Corruption: Canada backs firm banned by World Bank

by Marty Logan, Inter Press Service (Johannesburg), July 30, 2004.

It is business as usual between Canadian government agencies and a local company barred from World Bank contracts after being convicted of bribery in Africa.

In September 2002, engineering firm Acres International was found guilty in the High Court in the southern African nation of Lesotho for trying to bribe the official responsible for the multi-billion-dollar World Bank-financed Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).

Acres, based in Oakville in the province of Ontario, appealed and last year had one charge dropped. But the conviction was maintained on the second count and the firm was fined the equivalent of two million U.S. dollars.

Mr. Ian Gillespie
President and CEO
Export Development Canada

June 15, 2004

Mr. Fraser Reilly-King
Halifax Initiative
153 Chapel Street, Suite 104
Ottawa ON KIN 1H5

Re: Compliance program file number 2236-4-1-2003

Dear Mr. Reilly-King:

This letter is a follow-up to my letter of May 7, 2004 and should serve as the conclusion of the Halifax Initiative complaint.

Your letter of complaint dated July 28, 2003 regarding the Cernavoda 2 nuclear power plant transaction came within EDC's compliance program. It was accepted and followed the compliance program process. A recommendation that a compliance audit be conducted was made to EDC Executive Management (Management) in October of 2003.

Management accepted the recommendation and the work was divided into two parts.