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Shareholder Activism with KAIROS
For almost 30 years the churches and religious orders in Canada have been leaders in the area of shareholder activism. As investors in Canadian corporations, the churches have worked ecumenically over the years to influence Canadian businesses to adopt responsible social policies in carrying out their corporate activities. The first issue the churches tackled ecumenically through the Taskforce on the Churches and Corporate Responsibility (TCCR) was apartheid. In particular, TCCR assisted church shareholders in influencing Canadian banks to stop making loans to the apartheid regime in South Africa. When the banks refused to meet with church representatives to discuss the loans, TCCR coordinated the efforts of church shareholders who began to attend the banks’ annual meeting to raise concern in a public forum. An anti-apartheid movement began to grow both nationally and internationally and, by the mid-‘80s most Canadian banks had formally announced an end to loans to the South African government and its agencies. Over the years, shareholder activism expanded as the churches focused on a broader range of issues such as human rights concerns, environmental issues, corporate board diversity and confidential voting. For a more in-depth understanding of the concepts, approaches, and organizations involved in shareholder advocacy, please read Socially Responsible Shareholdership in Canada, a joint publication of KAIROS and the Social Investment Organization.
Shareholder activity in 2004:
Shareholder activity in 2003:
Shareholder activity in 2002:
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