A Clearing in Canada: Ottawas New Standards for Sustainability

For Vancouver-based Nevsun Resources Ltd., the timing could hardly have been worse: Just as Canada issued its latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards for extractive companies in November, the Eritrea-focused miner was sued over forced labor allegations at its copper-gold project 90 miles east of Asmara, the capital. The British Columbia Supreme Court filing followed a 2013 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleging employment of pressganged military conscripts at the operation, a 60:40 joint venture with the ?pariah? government. ?Based on company-led and third-party audits,? countered CEO Cliff Davis, ?the Bisha mine has adhered to international standards of governance, health and safety.?

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Categories: Economic Diplomacy
Author: Huffington Post, Joseph Kirschke