Top Canadian Business Performers, Part I: CSR Performance of Canada's Banks

The Globe and Mail's annual "Ranking of Canada's Top 1000 Public Companies by Profit" for 2012 has been recently published. It was no surprise that topping the list is, once again, one of Canada's largest banks. The top ten on the list of 1000 companies included five banks, as well as resource extraction companies.

In a three-part series I will be reviewing the list's top earning banks and natural resource companies, along with sustainability highlights. After all, corporate responsibility has taught both companies and the public that being a large earner and employer is only part of what makes a company noteworthy.

Canada's largest five banks have made the list as top ten earners, as well as earned a coveted spot in the "2012 Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations", by Maclean's Magazine, compiled in partnership with Sustainalytics. According to the Maclean's website, "Canada's Top 50 Socially Responsible Companies were selected on the basis of their performance across a broad range of environmental, social, and governance indicators and rank at the top of their industry groups." [1]

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Meirav Even-Har is a Justmeans staff blogger. She reports on Canadian CSR issues. Meirav is an independent sustainability consultant and writer working in Toronto, Canada.