Contact:
Ernie Schibli, Public Education Coordinator
Tel.: (514) 933-6797
Home: (514) 481-6544
Email: ernie@s-j-c.net

Social Justice Committee asks Conservative government to enforce environmental, human rights standards in Canadian mining operations.

Montreal- 15 March 2006 –The Social Justice Committee asks the new Canadian government to ensure that domestically-owned mining companies comply with environmental and international human rights standards in their overseas operations, as outlined in a report released last year by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT).

In the report, the SCFAIT strongly recommends the use of human rights impact assessments of overseas mining activities to determine whether companies may receive support, financial and otherwise, from the Canadian government.

The SCFAIT report also urges the government to establish “clearly defined corporate social responsibility and human rights standards,” and “clear legal norms in Canada to ensure that Canadian companies and residents are held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies.”

The Social Justice Committee views the SCFAIT recommendations as highly relevant, in light of the new Canadian government and the fact that Canadian mining activities in certain developing countries continue to have a negative effect on both indigenous communities and the environment.

“Given the large role Canada plays in the mining industry, our country’s reputation as a defender of human rights is being endangered by the socially irresponsible actions of some mining companies,” said Ernie Schibli, SJC public education coordinator.

The SJC continues its awareness campaign surrounding the widely criticized activities of the Marlin-mine in Guatemala, run by the U.S.-based and Canadian-registered mining company Glamis. The SJC points out that local communities affected by the Marlin mine were not adequately consulted before it was constructed, and that many Guatemalans are opposed to the mine on social, environmental, and human rights grounds.