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24 years 5 months ago.   .   Is the Tobin Tax Practicable? Rodney Schmidt International Development Research Centre Government of Canada (Vietnam office) Tel/Fax (84-4) 942-0177 E-mail veem@hn.vnn.vn 7 June 2000 The proposed Tobin tax is a percentage of the quantity of domestic currency converted into foreign currency. It would be collected on all such conversions of domestic currency, and would be treated by partid be treated by participants in the foreign-exchange market as an added cost to each foreign-exchange transaction. The tax cost would be equivalent to the payment processing costs which, though very small, are currently paid on each foreign-exchange transaction.   Read more ...
24 years 5 months ago.   Environment, Human rights.   INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES (USA) * URGEWALD (GERMANY) * REFORM THE WORLD BANK CAMPAIGN (ITALY) * GREEN GROUP (ITALIAN SENATE) * HALIFAX INITIATIVE (CANADA) * SIERRA CLUB (USA) * PROJECT UNDERGROUND (USA) * CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (USA) * ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE (USA)* RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK (USA) * AMIS DE LA TERRE (FRANCE) * BANK INFORMATION CENTER (U   Read more ...
24 years 5 months ago.   Corporate accountability, Environmental, Human rights.   Terrie O' Leary Executive Director for Canada World Bank Group 1818 H St. NW Washington, DC  20433 June 4, 2000 Dear Ms. O' Leary, We are writing to express our serious concerns related to a proposed IFC investment, the Niger Delta Contractor Revolving Credit Facility, and to urge you to vote against this project.  This project involves IFC and the Shell Petroleum Development Company teaming up to provide credit to Nigerian contractors who are providing services to Shell.   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   IFI policies and positions.   The Halifax Initiative Coalition members include development, human rights, environment and church organizations. In Canada, it is the main voice for reform of the international financial institutions so that they better serve the poor. Like many others, the Halifax Initiative Coalition initially extended a tentative welcome to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Process, hoping that the language of "country ownership" and "civil society participation" would, in time, result in some level of empowerment of people affected by IFI policies and programs.   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   Farming crisis.   REPORT FROM MEETING WITH NATIONAL FARMERS UNION MEMBERS Background Since the mid 1970s the realized net income of Canadian farms have fallen consistently. The farm crisis that dominated headlines a few months ago may have been triggered by environmental conditions but statistical information clearly indicates it is part of an ongoing trend that has seen net income per farm (in 1998 $) fall from $50,000 in 1975 to -$2,000 in 1999. Clearly this is part of an ongoing trend that the AFB must address in dramatic fashion lest we see the complete annihilation of the Canadian family farm and with it, the rural communities on which much of Canada was built.   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   Corporate accountability.     EDC needs more accountability, critics say: Rights, protection issues PUBLICATION The National Post DATE Mon 22 May 2000 EDITION National SECTION/CATEGORY Canada PAGE NUMBER A7 BYLINE Paul Waldie STORY LENGTH 246   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   .   Terrie O'Leary Executive Director for Canada World Bank, Room D12081 701 19th Street Washington, DC, 20433 May 20, 2000 Dear Ms. O. Leary, First, on behalf of the Halifax Initiative Coalition and our international allies, thank-you very much for meeting with us, following the Spring meetings. We appreciate every opportunity to exchange views on issues with you. I am writing today to formally express our concerns over the proposed Chad-Cameroon Oil and Pipeline project, due for Board consideration on Tuesday, May 23rd. As you know, Directors have been asked to request that the Board be given one more month to review issues and documents related to this project.   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   ECA Reform, Government of Canada policies and positions.   Coalition and Prominent Canadians call on Minister Pettigrew to legislate the Export Development Corporation to Protect People and the Environment May 19, 2000 Ottawa - Minister Pettigrew failed to recommend changes to increase the Export Development Development Corporation's public transparency and accountability to internationally upheld standards, in his response to a Standing Committee report, "Reviewing the Export Development Act", presented to the House of Commons yesterday.   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   Corporate accountability, Transparency and disclosure.   Liberals plan watchdog for EDC: Ombudsman would try to keep controversial Crown corporation `accountable' PUBLICATION The Ottawa Citizen DATE Fri 19 May 2000  EDITION FINAL SECTION/CATEGORY News PAGE NUMBER A1/Front BYLINE Jack Aubry  STORY LENGTH 733 The government is looking at establishing an ombudsman for the Export Development Corporation as part of an effort to improve the much-criticized Crown corporation's ``accountability, compliance and access to information.''   Read more ...
24 years 6 months ago.   EDC regulation, Environmental, Government of Canada policies and positions, Human rights, Transparency and disclosure.   May 19, 2000 The Honourable Pierre Pettigrew Minister for International Trade Dear Minister Pettigrew: The federal government is considering whether changes should be made in the way that the Export Development Corporation (EDC) operates, a Canadian taxpayer-supported agency, assists Canadian business interests abroad. The choices that the federal government makes about how EDC operates will have significant social and environmental consequences. As a Crown corporation, EDC pays no taxes, enjoys limited liability, and its credit is backed by the Canadian government. Yet it operates largely in secret. Unlike other government agencies, EDC is not subject to the Access to Information Act, and it keeps the projects it funds a secret. It has no binding standards requiring its projects to adhere to well-accepted social, environmental, labour or human rights standards.   Read more ...

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