Canada to Vote on Conflict Minerals Legislation, Should Join Support for Mining Reforms and Livelihood Projects in Congo

Sep 16, 2014 | Enough Project
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On September 24th, the Canadian House of Commons will hold a Second Reading vote on Bill C-486: The Conflict Minerals Act. The passage of C-486 would reinforce growing international attention and action promoting supply chain reform and responsible sourcing, along with Provision 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and proposed European Union legislation.

C-486 was originally introduced last session by MP Paul Dewar and has gained support from various activist and advocacy groups throughout Canada. Similar to Dodd-Frank 1502, the bill requires Canadian companies to “exercise due diligence in respect of the exploitation and trading of designated minerals originating in the Great Lakes Region of Africa in seeking to ensure that no armed rebel organization or criminal entity or public or private security force that is engaged in illegal activities or serious human rights abuses has benefited from any transaction involving such minerals.” Companies publicly traded in the U.S. filed their first conflict minerals reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2014.