Photo: Barlow speaking at the opening evening last night. Photo by Abdul Pirani.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow tweets:
In Montreal as a jurist on the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on the Canadian mining industry in Latin America. Exciting!
— Maude Barlow (@MaudeBarlow) May 29, 2014
From May 29 to June 1, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) will be held in Montreal for the first hearing of an international opinion tribunal on the Canadian mining industry. Close to 200 people gathered last night at McGill University for the opening of the tribunal and presentations from the eight jurists. The members of the jury will hear testimonies today and tomorrow. Their final judgement is to be delivered on June 1.
Along with Barlow, the jurists are: Mireille Fanon-Mendès-France (Fondation Frantz Fanon, France), Nicole Kirouac (Comité de vigilance de Malartic, Québec), Gérald Larose (Université du Québec à Montréal), Viviane Michel (Quebec Native Women- FAQ-QNW), Javier Mujica Petit (Centro de Políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos, Peru), Antoni Pigrau Solé (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain), and Gianni Tognoni (Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, Italia).
Barlow tweeted last night:
Gianni Tognoni of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal in Italy giving a moving history of the tribunal. Started because of Viet Nam war.
— Maude Barlow (@MaudeBarlow) May 29, 2014
The Canadian Religious Conference reports, “The Tribunal is meant to be an instrument for research, visibility and exchange for peoples and communities affected by mining activities in Canada and abroad. Witnesses and experts will be invited to testify before a jury composed of public figures from various countries and with diverse professional backgrounds and expertise. It will be the first session of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal to be held in Canada.”
And the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal website notes, “The Tribunal will examine the role and responsibility of mining companies and the Canadian government in the violation of human and environmental rights in Latin America through the emblematic cases of Pascua Lama (Barrick Gold) in Chile-Argentina; Escobal (Tahoe Resources) in Guatemala; San Martin (Goldcorp) in Honduras; Payback (Blackfire Exploration) and La Platosa (Excellon Resources) in Mexico.”
Barlow adds in another tweet:
The Tribunal represents those without representation. Voice and justice to the voiceless.
— Maude Barlow (@MaudeBarlow) May 29, 2014
In November 2012, Barlow and Mexico City-based Blue Planet Project organizer Claudia Campero Arena participated in the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal process in Mexico. To read Barlow’s report on that experience, please see Bearing Witness to Community Struggles Against Dams and Mining in Mexico.
To read Council of Canadians campaigns-organizing assistant Philippe Charbonneau’s recent blog about the tribunal in Montreal, please read Tribunal des peuples sur l’industrie minière canadienne à Montréal.
To read the preliminary verdict of the tribunal (issued on June 1), please click here.
