Parliamentary Secretary Virani leads Canadian delegation at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Ministerial Meeting on Responsible Business Conduct

February 15, 2023 – Paris, France – Global Affairs Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to working with international partners to increase sustainability, uphold human rights and promote and strengthen responsible business practices around the world.

This week, Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, led Canada’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD)’s Ministerial Meeting on Responsible Business Conduct in Paris, France.

Parliamentary Secretary Virani vice-chaired the two-day event, working alongside representatives of more than 60 countries to explore new ways to collaborate on advancing global responsible business conduct (RBC) policies and practices.

Parliamentary Secretary Virani chaired a meeting on fostering international cooperation to promote RBC around the world. He highlighted measures taken by the Government of Canada to promote RBC practices by Canadian companies operating abroad, including through Canada’s Responsible Business Conduct Strategy.

Released in 2022, Responsible Business Conduct Abroad: Canada’s Strategy for the Future, sets out priorities for the Government of Canada over 5 years to help Canadian businesses of all sizes better integrate the management of risks to the environment, people and society while operating abroad.

Canada was joined by 49 other countries as well as the European Union in signing the Declaration on Promoting and Enabling Responsible Business Conduct in the Global Economy, which commits signatories to strengthening global RBC practices in order to advance sustainable development, make supply chains more resilient and help mitigate climate change. 

While in Paris, the Parliamentary Secretary met with Stéphane Dion, Canada’s Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the EU and Europe as well as Madeleine Chenette, Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OECD. He also met with several counterparts, ministers, and officials including Oleksandr Gryban, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Nigel Huddleston, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade of the United Kingdom, Renganaden Padayachy, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development of Mauritius, Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate in Charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies of Morocco, and Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice.

Finally, at a round table with the Canada-France Chamber of Commerce, he discussed opportunities to further develop bilateral trade and investment.