On June 1, Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow delivered a keynote speech at the ‘Shout Out Against Mining Injustice’ conference in Vancouver. More than 400 people gathered at the Maritime Labour Centre for this opening night public forum.
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In her speech, Barlow highlighted, “The extractive mineral industry is exploding around the world. Mining Watch reports that every year, mining companies dump 180 million tonnes of toxic mine waste into oceans, lakes and rivers – 1.5 times the amount of municipal solid waste the US sends to landfills every year. The tailings contain as many as 3 dozen dangerous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and cyanide. The global mining industry is becoming more and more contentious in its relentless search for new solutions, leaving in its wake increasing environmental and human rights abuses.”
She also pointed out, “A study commissioned by the industry and leaked to the media said that Canadian mining companies are ‘far and away’ the worst human rights and environmental abusers of any country. And do they ever have a friend in Stephen Harper, who refuses to put any leash whatsoever on their practices. Canadian mining companies are notorious for refusing to cooperate in investigations in Latin America that involve violence against local anti-mining activists, knowing they face no penalty back in Canada at all.”
And Barlow stated, “Now, the Harper government is cutting its ties with traditional aid and development groups such as KAIROS and openly adopting Canadian mining companies and cooperative charities (who might better be described as enablers) as their new partners in delivering aid to countries in need. This shift is coordinated with the departments of International Trade and Natural Resources to ensure that all aid is now tied to a plan that directly fuels economic growth and international trade at home and benefits Canadian mining companies abroad.”
For her complete 16-minute speech, please hear the Redeye recording on rabble.ca at http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/redeye/2012/06/fighting-abuses-canadian-mining-companies-maude-barlow. To read her speech, please see her blog at http://canadians.org/blog/?p=15560.
