Background: Executives of Canadian mining and oil & gas companies have argued that the adoption of the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (the "ESTMA") in Canada puts them at a competitive disadvantage compared to companies from other countries that do not have to disclose all source payments made to foreign governments in conjunction with international mining and oil & gas projects. The Canadian government argues that it is important that Canadian companies report payments in order to ensure that all funds received by foreign governments are publicly known and the government officials abroad can be held accountable for the proper disclosure and use of those funds for the benefit of their populations.

The Question: BE IT RESOLVED that the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act should be repealed because it places Canadian resource extraction companies at a competitive disadvantage in bidding for international projects.

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