Prioritizing Community Safety and Reconciliation: Investor Advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Investors play a vital role in promoting and advancing Indigenous reconciliation, which is impossible if we don’t prioritize the safety of indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. A comprehensive approach to implementing the TRC Calls to Action, UNDRIP principles, and MMIWG report Calls for Justice can transform investors’ decisions and practices, improve corporate actions, protect Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples, and build a more inclusive and safe society....
Proxy Alert: Proposal on Australian Cultural Heritage Protection Law at Fortescue
Fortescue Metals Group LimitedSymbol: FMG (ASX)Annual Meeting date: November 9, 2021Filer: Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) with the support of the National Native Title Council (NNTC) and the Western Australian Aboriginal Heritage Alliance Shareholder Resolution 8: Support for Improvement to Western Australian Cultural Heritage Protection Law SHARE’s Recommendation: Vote FOR shareholder resolution To promote the long-term success of our Company, and noting: the findings and recommendations of the Interim Report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Northern Australia’s interim report entitled Never Again published on 9 December 2020 (‘Interim Report’);the importance of adequate cultural heritage protection laws in mitigating social, reputational and financial risks to our Company;the...
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Owning our Shared History and Mobilizing Together as Investors
By Katie Wheatley and Mark Sevestre, Reconciliation and Resposible Investment Initiative Across Turtle Island, we have witnessed a renewed outpouring of grief and outrage in recent months, as the uncovering of thousands of unmarked children’s graves have served as horrific reminders of Canada’s long legacy of colonialism and assimilation, including the residential school system. The inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, which will be marked on September 30, 2021, is an important occasion to learn about the atrocities committed against First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. It is also a moment to educate ourselves on Indigenous rights, including Aboriginal and Treaty rights, and the United...
Brief Regarding Bill C-15: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
On Monday, May 31, Katherine Wheatley and Mark Sevestre represented the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative in a presentation to the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, regarding Bill C-15. Bill C-15 "provides that the Government of Canada must take all measures necessary to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and must prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration." RRII spoke to the importance of company and investor engagement when implementing Bill C-15, and highlighted the current lack of domestic guidance on the...
Statement regarding the Kamloops Indian Residential School from the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative (RRII)
May 31, 2021 - It is with a heavy heart and many tears that we add our voice to those across Turtle Island who mourn for the 215 young spirits finally located last week in Kamloops, British Columbia. We grieve with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation and the families of the lost children. The truly devastating reality of what happened at these Indian Residential Schools is all too real today for many Indigenous peoples. We ourselves, or our family members and friends, have experienced the intergenerational trauma firsthand. Some will show the physical scars from where they were hit for speaking their own language, others...
Press Release: TMX Group Limited shareholders vote in favour of company-supported shareholder proposal on Indigenous inclusion
Historic support for shareholder proposal on Indigenous inclusion cultivates meaningful, transparent action on reconciliation in the financial sector May 12, 2021 – Shareholders of TMX Group Ltd. voted overwhelmingly to support a resolution on Indigenous inclusion and reconciliation at the company’s annual and special meeting of shareholders held earlier today. The vote will have profound effects on Canadian companies and the Indigenous economy. The Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), a national investor advocate, filed the proposal on behalf of the Atkinson Foundation. TMX Group made history when the company announced it would recommend a vote in favour of an amended version of the proposal. This...
Proxy Alert: Proposal on Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation at TMX Group
TMX Group LtdSymbol: X.TOAnnual Meeting date: May 12, 2021Filer: Atkinson Foundation, supported by the Shareholder Association for Research & Education (SHARE) Shareholder proposal on Indigenous relations and reconciliation (amended) SHARE’s Recommendation: Vote FOR shareholder proposal (amended)TMX Group Management Recommendation: Vote FOR shareholder proposal (amended) RESOLVED that the TMX Group’s Board of Directors report to shareholders on its work: to develop internal programs and policies on equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I), including those that encompass current and prospective Indigenous employees, and relationships with Indigenous communities;to review procurement from Indigenous-owned businesses, and those owned by other underrepresented groups, and establish appropriate disclosure practices and objectives; andto engage with qualified Indigenous and other organizations...
TMX management joins Canadian businesses committing to Indigenous economic empowerment
22 April 2021 – By Katherine Wheatley, Kevin Thomas, & Anthony Schein Following productive dialogue with the company, we are pleased to announce that the board of directors of the TMX Group (which owns the Toronto Stock Exchange) has agreed to jointly support a resolution on reconciliation and Indigenous relations to TMX shareholders filed by SHARE on behalf of the Atkinson Foundation. The Atkinson Foundation’s proposal asks the company to commit to develop internal programs and policies on equity, diversity, and inclusion including Indigenous employees; to review procurement from Indigenous-owned businesses and establish procurement objectives; and to engage with Indigenous organizations to identify standards of practice...
“Strong leadership and an effective system of accountability” needed at the Chartwell board of directors: SHARE
19 April 2021 – By Sarah Couturier-Tanoh, Senior Shareholder Engagement & Policy Analyst, SHARE Cross-posted with permission from the SHARE blog. At the upcoming annual meeting at Chartwell Retirement Residences, SHARE is recommending unitholders vote FOR the shareholder proposal (proposal No. 1) on board oversight of the workforce, and that unitholders withhold (Vote against) their vote for the chair of the Board, Michael D. Harris. SHARE argues that the company’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when at least 393 Chartwell residents have died from the virus, underscores the importance of board oversight of the workforce, and the need for the company to provide reporting to investors on...
Reconciliation and responsible investment: Growing the Indigenous economy in Canada
30 March 2021 – By Katie Wheatley, Manager, Reconciliation & Responsible Investment Initiative, SHARE and Lindsey Walton, Head of Canada for Signatory Relations, PRI Cross-posted with permission from the PRI blog. Canadian businesses must support Indigenous communities in securing long-term, sustainable benefits from economic development, as part of their reconciliation duties, enshrined in the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action #92. Creating opportunities for equity ownership and participation are significant steps in this process, and responsible investors have a role to play in encouraging these. The Indigenous economy in Canada continues to grow, but remains largely untapped. Indigenous peoples contribute over CAD 30 billion annually to Canada’s GDP,...