Canada not accountable for mining injustices

KAIROS is deeply disappointed by the defeat of Bill C-300 at its third reading in the House of Commons, according its recent newsletterThe private member’s bill, which would have created new mechanisms to hold Canadian mining, oil and gas companies accountable when they are found to be complicit in human rights and environmental violations abroad, was narrowly defeated by a vote of 140 to 134.
KAIROS, whose membership includes Mennonite Central Committee, supported the bill since its introduction by the Hon. John McKay in February 2009. Widespread support for the bill from Canadian civil society organizations like KAIROS was matched by an equally strong outpouring of support from NGOs and mining-affected communities in developing countries.KAIROS thanks everyone who wrote or called their MP to express their views on Bill C 300. Letters of support for the legislation came in from as far away as Central America and the Philippines. Even the former environment minister for Argentina traveled to Ottawa to urge Parliamentarians to pass the bill.
More MPs and more Canadians than ever before are aware of the desperate need for mining accountability reform in Canada. While the defeat of Bill C-300 is a setback and a lost opportunity, the movement to rein in destructive mining practices has only grown stronger since the bill was first introduced last year.
KAIROS, together with our civil society partners in the global South, will continue to push for legal reforms and public policy change to ensure companies respect international human rights standards, including the rights of Indigenous peoples.
For more information, please contact Ian Thomson, KAIROS Program Coordinator for Ecological Justice and Corporate Accountability, at 613-235-9956 ext 222, or by email at ithomson@kairoscanada.org