At PCJ, we believe that responsible corporate behavior with respect to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors should have a positive influence on long-term financial performance. We incorporate these factors as an integral part of our fundamental research process.
- In-house scoring methodology – PCJ’s portfolio managers assign an ESG rating for each Canadian company in their coverage universe. Data is gathered from the company disclosures, annual reports, analyst research, and meetings with company management
- Company engagement – ESG ratings are not used to screen, rather as a tool to engage with management. We believe change is driven first through shareholder engagement, then divestment
- Collaborative engagement – PCJ engages with other institutional investors to leverage internal resources and expertise, and encourage transparency on ESG factors
- Transparency – PCJ believes that data drives decision making, and actively promotes companies to disclose their ESG commitment and targets
- Industry dialogue – PCJ is committed to being an active participant in industry conferences on ESG research, ESG advocacy, and active share ownership
In 2015, PCJ became a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investing initiative, focusing on incorporating ESG considerations into the investment process.
Since 2014, PCJ has been an active member of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Representing the interests of institutional investors, CCGG promotes good governance practices in Canadian public companies and the improvement of the regulatory environment to best align the interests of boards and management with those of their shareholders, and to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of the Canadian capital markets.
Since 2015, PCJ has been a member of the Carbon Disclosure Project. CDP focuses on measuring and understanding companies’ environmental impact in order to build a sustainable economy. They provide data and analysis in order to be able to compare companies’ environmental impact, as well as drive corporate transparency around climate change, deforestation and water security, by encouraging companies to respond to disclosure requests.
Download a copy of our Responsible Investment Policy.