Corporate Social Responsibility

EDC continues to evolve the way it looks at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Where CSR has for some time been a key risk-management exercise focused primarily on transactions, more recently it has become more fully integrated into how we do business. This movement is being seen in businesses around the world as companies change their view from CSR being a piece of their business to it becoming how they do business and how they work with their customers, the public and their stakeholders.

CSR is increasingly connected to EDC’s corporate culture. It influences how we work and add value for our customers. In continuing to adapt our approach to CSR, we’ve changed how we approach the due diligence on our business, how our customer facing business teams operate, and how EDC defines its success, both as a financial player that operates on commercial principles and a federal Crown corporation supporting Canada’s trade and economy.

To strengthen our foundation, in 2017 we worked to establish a new CSR framework for EDC, in consultation with external stakeholders and leveraging our internal expertise in strategy, human rights, environmental assessment, business ethics, anti-corruption and international frameworks. We developed an implementation plan for this framework that will help drive execution and results in 2018 and beyond, with the objective of adding more value to Canadian exporters and promoting Canada’s long-term success.

EDC’s ongoing diversity and inclusion strategy is to reflect Canada's diversity—a key element of what makes this country strong and successful on the international stage—within our organization. Fielding a diverse workforce and creating an environment where every employee, regardless of background, feels comfortable will ultimately make EDC stronger, and allow us to better serve Canadian companies. We have already made progress in this regard, which is why EDC was one of 18 employers recognized by the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour for outstanding achievement in employment equity at the annual Employment Equity Achievement Awards held in October 2017.

By 2020 the goal is to have the internal employee population mirror, if not exceed, external availability for the four designated groups (women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities). We are also looking to increase the representation of women in targeted areas (at the leadership level and within the lines of business); visible minorities in leadership; and Indigenous representation at the professional level. To date our efforts have yielded positive results, and we will continue to monitor and assess our progress in this regard.