Above Ground

Above Ground encourages companies to respect human rights. They promote access to Canadian courts for those who are harmed by Canadian companies overseas and encourage the Canadian government to fulfill its legal duty to protect against human rights abuse by the private sector. Above Ground works to enhance the transparency and accountability of government actors and institutions that promote Canadian companies overseas. 

Above Ground builds on 20 years of work in the promotion of ESC rights at the Halifax Initiative, which  prioritized policy and law reform to create effective regulatory mechanisms and avenues for meaningful redress regarding the overseas operations of Canadian companies.

Above Ground promotes access to remedy for those who suffer human rights violations in relation to the overseas operations of Canadian multinational companies. They research and document the human rights violations caused by export credit agencies, namely, Export Development Canada clients, and promote policy and law reform to avoid such violations. They also collaborate with the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability to promote the development of an effective non-judicial grievance mechanism in Canada for the foreign victims of corporate human rights abuse.