Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics provides guidance in conducting our business activities in accordance with the highest legal, ethical, and professional standards.
The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the Code) is approved by the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors. It is made available to all our employees in both English and French and covers a broad range of topics, including compliance, responsible management, conflicts of interest, anti-corruption and anti-bribery, data privacy, respect at work, human rights, and the environment.
Implementing the Code
The Code applies to directors, officers and employees of Power Corporation, including temporary, part-time, and contractual employees, as well as to those of its wholly owned subsidiaries (unless they have a comparable code). Each director, officer and employee is provided with a copy of the Code and is required to sign an annual acknowledgement of compliance. In 2021, all of the Corporation’s officers, directors and employees acknowledged compliance with the Code.
The implementation of the Code is the responsibility of the Vice-President and General Counsel, who provides an annual report to the Audit Committee of the Board.
Furthermore, as part of our mandatory annual Code of Business Conduct and Ethics training sessions, we raise awareness about key ESG themes and educate our employees on our key policies and procedures. The training process is facilitated by a web-based platform and contains testing to demonstrate that employees understand the Code and other policies of the Corporation. At the end of the training, as part of our annual certification requirement, employees are required to certify their compliance with our Code of Conduct and key corporate policies.
Reporting Mechanisms
Mechanisms for seeking advice and reporting concerns can be directed to the appropriate supervisor, to the Vice-President and General Counsel, or to the Audit Committee of our Board. Confidentiality of reports made in good faith regarding alleged violations is maintained and reports are followed up through our Legal Department. For more information, please refer to the Reporting Concerns Mechanisms page of this website.