Investors representing US$5.5 trillion call for accountability

Credited to their fiduciary responsibility, 36 corporate investors with a combined US$5.5 trillion in assets have applied their signature to a recently published Canadian Investor Statement on Climate Change.

The statement, which included signatures from the asset management divisions of five of Canada’s largest lenders as well as major corporate investors, including the Ontario Pension Board; features a call for firms to act on material climate risks. It also asks that firms use all measures possible, including through industry association and lobbying activities.

A move sponsored by the Responsible Investment Association (RIA), the Statement also indicates clear actions that these key Canadian investors will take to contribute to the global advancement of the net-zero goal.

Part of these measures includes disclosing their financed emissions and setting an expectation that allows their investees to establish emissions targets and report on their progress.

“By centering reconciliation and a just transition, this statement adds a Canadian perspective that is missing from the global conversation,” says Dustyn Lanz, RIA CEO. “The signatories recognize that Canada’s path to net-zero depends on a transition that leaves no one behind and supports the transformation of every sector while aligning itself with Indigenous rights for self-determination.”