Bringing Corporate Purpose into the Mainstream: Directions for Canadian Law

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation
Authored by: Iseoluwa Akintunde, Richard Janda

Environmental rights economics, human health and wellbeing, policy and regulation

This report from the David Suzuki Foundation provides legal recommendations to the Canada Business Corporations Act in order to mainstream the idea that corporations should have a stated social purpose. It is a necessary step in the broader transition to a well-being economy, which prioritizes the long-term quality of life of people and health of nature over short-term profits.

The report delves into the legal history of corporate purpose and, through case studies in France and the U.K., shows how other countries have already taken the lead towards establishing the legal framework necessary.

The report is written by two academics in the Faculty of Law at McGill University. It was commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation as part of its broader work on well-being economies, and the fundamental belief that corporations should act with the well-being of people and planet in mind.