The Council of Canadians Vancouver-Burnaby chapter on a Mining Justice Alliance-organized ‘Toxic Tour’ in May 2013 to expose Vancouver-based mining companies including Pacific Rim, Goldcorp, Eldorado Gold, Barrick Gold and Tahoe Resources.
On May 18, international development minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the government will hold public consultations on international assistance.
A Government of Canada media release notes, “All Canadians and partners are invited to participate in this review from [May 18 to July 31] 2016.”
It then specifies “Canadians and their international partners can participate in the consultations and provide their feedback through the following methods” which include an online consultation feedback form, email [IAReview.ExamenAI@international.gc.ca], mail and “meet and discuss“. On that last point they say, “We will be organizing events in different parts of Canada in May and June. While in-person participation in these events is by invitation only, wherever possible we will make available live webcasts of events to reach a wider audience.”
The Canadian Press reports, “The international development minister says she wants to see what more can be done to help indigenous people who are affected by Canadian mining operations abroad. …She also plans to take a closer look at so called public-private partnerships that have seen aid dollars spent in conjunction with resource companies. The previous Conservative government pushed these partnerships over the protests of many non-governmental organizations, while some Canadian companies have periodically faced accusations of riding roughshod over the rights of local indigenous people in developing countries.”
The Toronto-based Mining Injustice Solidarity Network has stated, “Canadian mining companies are known worldwide for being the worst offenders when it comes to human rights, environmental, and labor violations. This reputation of abuse was confirmed by a 2009 report that was commissioned (and then suppressed) by Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) itself, which demonstrated that Canadian companies were involved in 34 percent of the high-profile violations in the mining sector over the previous 10 years, which was four times more frequently than the next country on the list.” Despite these facts, trade minister Chrystia Freeland recently stated she is “proud of the work of Canadian mining companies abroad”.
For Council of Canadians supporters wanting to participate in this public consultation, these are six demands that we have made over the past years that you may want to consider highlighting:
1- Uphold the human right to water – Every year mining companies dump 180 million tonnes of toxic mine waste into our oceans, lakes and rivers. The tailings contain as many as three dozen dangerous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, mercury and cyanide. When drinking water is polluted and depleted by mining operations, the human right to water is violated.
2- Stop negotiating ‘free trade’ agreements – The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provision in ‘free trade’ agreements like the Canada-Colombia, Canada-Honduras and Canada-Peru FTAs give mining companies the power to sue governments for rejecting mines that would pollute waterways or otherwise degrade the environment.
3- Stop tying aid to mining companies – The Harper government earmarked official development assistance (ODA) to fund the ‘corporate social responsibility’ initiatives of Canadian mining companies. The Harper government funded pilot projects that partnered World Vision and Barrick Gold in Peru, World University Service of Canada and Rio Tinto in Ghana, and Plan Canada and IAMGOLD in Burkina Faso.
4- Extend legal protections – Broaden the mandate of the Federal Court of Canada so that people in other countries can sue Canadian mining companies for human rights violations in the Canadian court system. Non‐citizens should be able to sue mining corporations in Canadian courts for violations of basic human, environmental or labour rights in their home countries.
5- Support divestment campaigns – The Canada Pension Plan holds $26 million in Tahoe Resources shares and $265 million in Goldcorp shares. Goldcorp should be compelled to shut down their open-pit Marlin mine in Guatemala and pay reparations for the damages it has caused to the local people.
6- Ensure Canadian companies respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – The Canadian government should help protect the indigenous Wixarika (Huichol) nation from Vancouver-based First Majestic Silver Corp. mining on their sacred lands without their free, prior and informed consent.
For our commentary in numerous blogs on mining injustice, please click here.