At its annual general meeting Thursday, shareholders of Canada’s largest bank criticized it for not doing enough to transition away from fossil fuels, as it continues lending billions of dollars to oil and gas companies. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, also said the bank needs to do more to get proper Indigenous consent for projects that it funds. (The Canadian Press)
Talking point: “I couldn’t agree more that we need to continue to evolve our energy strategy,” RBC CEO Dave McKay said during the meeting. The bank recently agreed to disclose more climate data—specifically how much of its financing goes to low-carbon energy projects relative to fossil fuel projects—amid pressure from the New York City comptroller. RBC avoided a shareholder vote on the topic by agreeing to the change. The bank did, however, face another climate-related proposal at Thursday’s meeting—a request for the bank to put forward a climate plan on which shareholders would vote annually. Just over 15 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the proposal.