Responsible investment

The Desjardins Group Retirement Committee (DGRC) believes in the importance of sustainable development to ensure stability and growth for decades to come. To that end, it engages in responsible investment, which allows the Plan, along with Desjardins Group, to proactively address environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges, including the fight against climate change. 

Since ESG risks can have a real impact on business performance, the DGRC believes that incorporating them into traditional financial risk analyses will contribute to maximize the long-term return of Desjardins Group Pension Plan (DGPP) assets and fulfill commitments to Plan members. 

The DGPP'S 5 focus areas

ESG integration
when analyzing, deciding and managing investment opportunities 

Shareholder engagement
to influence corporate ESG practices 

Exclusion
of specific business holdings based on an ESG factor-forward approach 

Collaboration
and coordination with other Desjardins Group components, investors and initiatives like the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)¹ of which the DGPP is a signatory

Reporting
periodically about responsible investment activities and progress 

¹ To know more about the PRI visit unpri.org/about.

Responsible investment policy

The DGPP has adopted a responsible investment policy that provides a clear, flexible framework to help incorporate ESG criteria into its asset management, taking into account the markets in which it invests. The policy oversees the implementation of responsible investment in DGPP activities and define monitoring mechanisms and reporting related to DGPP's responsible investment activities.

For more information, see DGPP Responsible Investment Guidelines.

Exercice of proxy voting rights

Exercise of proxy voting rights enables shareholders to positively influence companies in which they invest.

To do so, the DGPP has developed a policy on the exercise of voting rights to define conditions governing the exercise of proxy voting rights for securities held in its portfolios. The policy includes good governance guidelines, but also a corporate social responsibility section. For more information, see DGPP rules governing the exercise of proxy voting rights.

In 2020, the DGPP exercised its voting rights associated with securities held through external asset management mandates on 20,411 proposals at 1,877 shareholder meetings.

A transparent evaluation

The Responsible Investment (RI) Transparency Report (2020) is the annual assessment of the implementation of the six principles that comprise the declaration. The DGPP presents its achievements and results in a report which has been validated by the PRI organization.