CSR in Canada
CSR in Canada is a subject as large as the country. Lorraine Smith, Director, SustainAbility, gives an overview of the big picture in a four-part interview. She describes how CSR plays out differently in the very different regions of Canada: Quebec, Ontario, and Vancouver. In Toronto, the city’s dominant financial sector leads the CSR dialogue. Quebec’s ties to Europe result in an idea-rich sustainability conversation that filters down to the consumer marketplace. Vancouver is the birthplace of Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and the source of much activity by small- to medium-sized businesses. Smith points out that Canada’s economy is driven by natural resources—oil and gas, forests, minerals, and agricultural products—and discusses the implications of that raw materials economy on issues like land use, soil preservation, and water use. And she outlines how the growth in manufacturing in China has led to closer economic ties with Canada’s resource- and consumer-rich economy.