Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)

We heard how awful the situation is and of the over-reach and human rights violations of these transnational companies and the impact of their development agenda in the witnesses' countries.

It would be interesting to hear from the witnesses what they think, and if it is indeed possible, to do the work they do with their communities in a positive way. They have spoken about free, informed and prior consent. Will the witnesses lay out a pathway for how, if I was running a company and wanted to engage in the communities, that can be done in a positive way? There will be certain actors and lobbyists who will say that the damage to the community is just the cost of doing business. That is not something I agree with. Can we present a picture where it is possible to do business in a way that is empowering for both the company and communities?