Welcome to the introductory page for the following module: Emerging Issues of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law: Briefing for Canadian Lawyers
This module lasts approximately 5 hours.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an important facet of modern business. The degree to which a corporation is seen as positively impacting society has very real implications for profitability-linked variables such as client and employee loyalty, engagement, as well as the social license to operate. While CSR has become an integral part of today’s business model, there has been very little exploration of the legal frameworks impacting it. This Continuing Legal Education course addresses the legal aspects of CSR and aims to inform viewers on the practical legal realities of CSR in the modern corporate age.
Primary Instructors
Richard Janda
Professor Janda teaches business associations, administrative law, competition law, economic regulation, and air transport regulation. He was Law Clerk to Justices Le Dain and Cory of the Supreme Court of Canada and is a past Director of the Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries at McGill. His main current research areas are the legal basis of domestic and global corporate social responsibility and the regulatory regimes governing domestic and global public goods. Apart from his academic contributions, has been involved in work for the WTO, ICAO, OECD, the World Bank, a number of Canadian public agencies as well as work in a number of developing countries.
Anne Drost
Anne’s practice covers various fields of energy law and environmental law, including climate change and regulatory. She advises multinational clients with operations in Quebec on corporate social responsibility matters and also practises in the area of aboriginal law.
Anne has extensive experience in advising clients on environmental matters, including regulatory approvals and compliance, and in transactions such as the acquisition or disposition of land. She regularly works with clients in the energy sector, in particular in the transportation of oil and gas. Over the years, Anne also developed an expertise in rail transportation and has acted as deputy emissary for the Government of Quebec on the development of high-speed train corridors in the Northeastern United States and Quebec.
Anne assists both government and industry clients on matters pertaining to aboriginal law. She participated in the negotiations which led to a historic agreement with the Crees of Northern Quebec (an aboriginal community in northern Quebec) regarding treaty implementation and an out-of-court settlement. Anne regularly advises clients operating in the natural resources sector on matters regarding consultation and negotiations with First Nations.
Freedom-Kai Phillips
Freedom-Kai Phillips, MA (Seton Hall), LLB (Dalhousie), LLM (Ottawa), is Research Associate with the International Law Research Program (ILRP) at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a Legal Research Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), and the Manager of the CISDL International Secretariat. Mr. Phillips has most recently served as Interim Director of the Centre for Law Technology and Society, at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. In the past Mr. Phillips has served as Legal Researcher for the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, a representative to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, and as a private sector sustainability consultant. His research focuses on access and benefit sharing (ABS), governance of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, financial incentives relating to sustainable development, carbon offsetting and renewable energy promotion, and legal measure to support achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).