First trial and conviction under Canadian corruption of foreign officials law

Stephen Natrass writes about the the first trial under Canada's Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA) which recently concluded with a conviction on August 15, 2013.

Increased Risks of Liability for International Human Rights Claims Brought in Canada

On July 22, 2013, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Choc v. Hudbay Minerals Inc. 2013 ONSC 1414 (the “Hudbay Decision”) dismissed a preliminary motion of the Defendants, Canadian mining company, Hudbay Minerals (Hudbay), thereby allowing the lawsuit against the company to proceed. The claim, which is yet to be proven, alleges Hudbay is responsible for human rights abuses allegedly committed by mine security personnel at Hudbay’s wholly owned and controlled subsidiary, Compania Guatemala de Niquel (CGN), in eastern Guatemala.

As noted, the matter has yet to proceed to trial and none of the allegations raised have yet been proven. That being so, this case has important implications for Canadian businesses operating abroad. In essence, the finding means that a complaint

Business and Human Rights: The State of Play

Ruth Cowley, Jon Hari and Stuart Neely discuss the "state of play" of business and human rights.