With Power Comes Responsibility: Incremental Progress in Canada on Parent Company Human Rights Liability

Abstract

Barriers in host countries lead human rights claimants to seek redress against multinational corporations in their home countries. However, barriers exist for these claimants in Canada too. This article focuses primarily on substantive barriers and responses, finding that we may be making progress in these cases in Canada, particularly with respect to direct duty arguments for parent companies. Specifically, this article reviews scholarly literature, Canadian cases, and other international cases to analyze litigation in Canada seeking to hold Canadian parent companies accountable for the actions of their subsidiaries or suppliers in host countries with underdeveloped legal systems.