Toronto Branch Luncheon
Location: National Club - 303 Bay Street on the east side of the street, between King and Adelaide.Date: April 15, 2010
Guest Speaker:
Hon. John McKay PC
The Honourable John McKay P.C., M.P. is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Scarborough—Guildwood in Ontario. A native of Scarborough, he was first elected in 1997 and has been subsequently re-elected five times. Between 2003-2006 he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, helping to oversee the tabling of two consecutive balanced budgets. Mr. McKay is the senior member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group.
Mr. McKay holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto at Scarborough and a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He is married to Carolyn Dartnell and they have five children.
Corporate Accountability of Mining, Oil and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries Act (Bill C-300)
On February 9, 2009 John McKay introduced his latest Private Member’s Bill C- 300 to the House of Commons. The Bill has currently passed second reading and is before the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee.
According to Mr. McKay, “Bill C- 300 will promote responsible environmental practices and international human rights standards on the part of Canadian mining, oil and gas corporations in developing countries. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that corporations engaged on mining, oil or gas activities and receiving support from the Government of Canada act in a manner consistent with international environmental best practices and with Canada’s commitments to international human rights standards. The Act gives the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Trade the responsibility of holding corporations accountable for their practices by submitting annual reports to the House of Commons and the Senate for review.”
Said McKay: “NGOs and government officials who have expressed concerns about the practices of some mining, oil, and gas operations in developing countries will be encouraged by Bill C- 300. This Bill will provide strong incentives for Canadian corporations in developing countries to follow environmental and human rights standards.”
More information on Mr. McKay's efforts on C-300 can be found on his web-site: http://www.johnmckaymp.on.ca/newslist.asp?category=1014
The appropriateness and potential negative impacts of this bill are of serious concern to the mining industry. There has been active opposition to Bill C-300 by mining industry associations, mining companies and law firms who have also appeared before the parliamentary sub-committee to make submissions against the Bill’s passage.
CIM Toronto Branch encourages the mining community in Toronto to familiarize themselves with the bill and the issues that have been raised. This lunch is an opportunity to hear from Mr. McKay, to learn about the thinking and process behind the bill, and to provide comments and pose questions. More information on industry concerns is at www.pdac.ca/c300 .
Many thanks to Fasken Martineau for sponsoring this month’s reception.
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