Human Rights and Informed Consent
Agnico Eagle has incorporated respect for human rights into our management and governance practices and programs.
Our Board of Directors has made it clear that we will only do business in regions where human rights laws are respected and promoted. As a Canadian company, we maintain our commitment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms while operating internationally, ensuring that all of our employees and communities are treated with respect and dignity.
Agnico Eagle does not in any way support or facilitate child labour or forced labour practices. This applies to mining operations, exploration and other development activities in which we are directly or indirectly engaged. It also applies to all outsourced or subcontracted activities across the entire supply chain. We do our best to ensure that none of our activities result in direct or indirect support of such practices. We will take action to terminate any such arrangement should we become aware that such practices are being supported by one of our outsourced suppliers.
In 2016, Agnico Eagle formally adopted the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VP), one of a series of standards created to help extractive sector companies balance the obligation to respect human rights while protecting the assets and people at their operations.
Informed consent: Agnico Eagle subscribes to the principle of informed consent when working on private land, including aboriginal land. We seek the consent of the land owner; this consent usually takes the form of a formal agreement acknowledging that Agnico Eagle will conduct work in a certain area and under certain conditions.
Feedback and advice: We have established a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) to provide us with feedback on our corporate social responsibility efforts and to help us make strategic links to our existing local stakeholder engagement activities. This approach also supports our global efforts to engage with our stakeholders on a regular basis and in a meaningful way.
The SAC provides us with constructive feedback from a diverse group of priority stakeholders. It provides advice on building a focused sustainability strategy and a business case for our investments in sustainability. The SAC also reviews our sustainability initiatives – including our environmental and social policies, programs, operational performance, communications and engagement.
Stakeholder engagement and materiality: Agnico Eagle is committed to addressing the evolving needs and priorities of our business and key stakeholders – including shareholders, employees, contractors, business partners, communities, governments and others.