[T]he Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), appointed in April 2019 is not the office that was promised. It does not have the promised mandate and powers required to effectively help communities harmed by Canadian companies defend their rights, access remedy or seek justice. The office has not been designed with the needs of impacted communities in mind. Much like the discredited, toothless corporate social responsibility offices of the past, it appears to have been designed with more concern for industry perceptions than with supporting the human rights of impacted communities... [T]he CORE [has] only with the power to offer mediation or undertake “reviews”. Both must rely entirely on the good will of transnational corporations to voluntarily share vital information that might implicate them in wrongdoing.

... The CORE is not independent from government. The CORE and her staff are civil servants. The CORE offices are situated within Global Affairs Canada... To date there are no adequate safeguards to protect people who bring complaints to the CORE... Given the blatant about-face of the Canadian government on its commitments regarding the establishment of the CORE, there is currently no reason for communities to believe it will prove to be more effective than the offices that have preceded it.