Bill C-300: Narrow Defeat despite Widespread Support for Mining Accountability and Human Rights
Ottawa, October 28th, 2010 - The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) deeply regrets the defeat of Private Member’s Bill C-300, The Responsible Mining Bill, at third and final reading in the House of Commons. The Bill lost by a narrow margin of 140 to 134.
http://www.embassymag.ca/page/view/tax-06-09-2010
Financial transaction tax is no bank tax
By Fraser Reilly-King
Published June 9, 2010
Big banks can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
This past weekend, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty managed to rally China, Brazil and South Korea behind him at G20 meetings in Busan, South Korea, and put those pesky discussions about a global bank tax to rest.
Instead of discussing a bank tax at this month's summit, the G20 agreed to "develop principles reflecting the need to protect taxpayers, reduce risks from the financial system, protect the flow of credit in good times and bad, taking into account individual country's circumstances and options."
Robin Hood Tax: Canada misses a chance for Leadership
OTTAWA – The Canadian Government is missing an historic opportunity to offer constructive global leadership by refusing to consider any kind of levy on the global financial sector.
“There are two proposals on the table here,” said Fraser Reilly-King of the Halifax Initiative. “One would save the banks, the other would save the world. At a time when global poverty is rising, along with sea levels, and European economies are crashing, the Harper government is actively campaigning against both.”
A Bank Tax would apply broadly and ensure future bailout funds would come from banks themselves, not the public. Canada’s counterproposal involves “embedded contingent capital,” which would shift the burden to shareholders, turning [contingent] bonds to equity if the banks run into trouble.
In "Alternatives", April 1, 2010
http://www.alterinter.org/article3457.html?lang=en
T-A-X. Such a simple three letter word, and yet it elicits responses from people out of all proportion to its size. Perhaps it isn’t surprising. Taxes are scary.
But let’s not forget, as much as you may hate them, without them, we wouldn’t have public health care, education, infrastructure, police and ambulances, government, politicians…(OK, maybe scratch that one). You get the idea. Boring and controversial as they are, taxes are essential.
Three ways to pay for aid commitments
EMBASSY – Canada’s Foreign Policy Newspaper
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Stephen Harper’s announcement that child and maternal health will be the signature theme of June’s G8 meeting is certainly timely.
Every day 1,400 women die of pregnancy-related causes. Every day 24,000 children under the age of five die of what are largely preventable causes. Progress on improving child and maternal health is the furthest off-track of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) UN member states committed to in 2000. This focus gives MDGs four and five, on child and maternal health, the push they need ahead of September’s United Nations High Level Meeting and ten year review of the MDGs.
But funding the initiative comes during difficult days – a global crisis and a budget deficit. Resources are tight.
Corporate Social Responsibility Rules for Mining Industry Blasted
by Lee Berthiaume
Published Apr. 1, 2009
The Conservative government has rejected joint civil society-private sector calls to tie diplomatic and economic support for Canadian oil, gas and mining companies operating in developing countries to socially responsible conduct abroad.
EDC Legislative Review Riles Rights Groups
Embassy - Canada's Foreign Policy Newspaper
http://embassymag.ca/page/printpage/edc-4-15-2009
by Michelle Collins
Leading civil society advocates are fuming that a review of Export Development Canada's business activities did little to advance the agency's obligations to human rights and transparency, and they are calling on the government to act.
Government Squanders Opportunity to Hold Extractive Companies to Account
(Ottawa- March 26, 2009) Today’s government announcement on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has squandered the important consensus reached by industry and civil society organizations on how to ensure that the overseas operations of Canadian extractive companies adhere to international environmental and human rights standards. Almost two years ago, the multi-stakeholder Advisory Group to the National Roundtables on CSR in the Extractive Sector submitted its consensus report to the Canadian government. Today’s long-awaited response ignores the report’s central recommendations.
KAIROS Debt E-Bulletin January 2009
Ecuador Has Every Right to Refuse to Pay Illegitimate Debts
President Rafael's Correa's decision to default on payments on a portion of Ecuador's external debts has received enthusiastic approval from social justice advocates amidst warnings of retribution from private financiers. London's /Financial Times/ accuses Correa of halting payments "on ideological grounds".
In fact, Ecuador made this decision for solid moral, legal and financial reasons that have been ignored by media reports. The default followed an exhaustive audit of Ecuador's debts that uncovered extensive irregularities and illegalities in the way the debts in question were contracted. Moreover, the decision is based on a strong moral case for repudiating illegitimate debts as affirmed by many church and civil society organizations
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44504
FINANCE: NGOs Call for Radical Reforms as IMF Offers New Loans
By Jim Lobe