The owners of the company ignore them, Canada’s government hides, and Mexico’s government is silent. 

The Civil Society Forum of Tonga in collaboration with Pacific Island Association of Non-Government Organization (PIANGO), Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWCT) and the Pacific Conference of Churches will convene a first-ever virtual island-wide multi-sectoral meeting to highlight the voices of the people on the issue of sea bed mining. 

From iPolitics. By Kevin Dougherty. Published on Oct 29, 2020 6:29pm

Please join us for a virtual round table: where are we at, one year after the conference "Turning Down the Heat: Can We Mine Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?" A report-back and conversation with MiningWatch staff and special guests from around the world. November 17, 2020 – 2-4 pm EST (7-9 pm London, 9-11 pm Johannesburg

The Ida mountain range and Mount Ida itself (Kazdaği, in Turkish, home to the ancient city of Troy), have been subject to gold mining interests in recent years. Since 2010, Canadian company Alamos Gold has been seeking to develop gold mines there in the face of determined local and nation-wide opposition. The Government of Canada claims that it is "committed to promoting responsible business practices; and expects and encourages Canadian companies working internationally to respect human rights and all applicable laws, to meet or exceed international RBC [responsible business conduct] guidelines and standards, to operate transparently and in consultation with host governments and local communities, and to conduct their activities in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner." The presence of Alamos Gold and its affiliates on the site is unlawful, unethical, and damaging to Canada’s image and reputation as a responsible global actor.

There is jubilation in Bolivia, as the people’s representatives are again in power following the removal by force of arms last year of president Evo Morales’ MAS party. The party’s new iteration, under the leadership of Luis Arce, won an even larger majority than last time, sweeping away the coup perpetrators. Canada was among the first countries in 2019 to confer legitimacy on the coup, and following its lead Canada-registered mining company Orvana Minerals used the opportunity the extreme-right political shift presented to undo labour agreements already signed and sack its unionized workers.

On October 15, 2020, the Xinka Parliament announced that Guatemalan authorities have finally recognized their representatives elected to participate in a consultation on the Escobal silver mine. Along with other agreements, this breakthrough could allow the court-ordered process over the future of the mine to advance after being stalled for over two years. 

As Ottawa and Quebec develop multi-billion dollar recovery plans that aim, in particular, to expand extractive mining to feed the growth in electric batteries, we call on our governments to implement needed reforms to ensure this does not undermine the sustainability of transportation. To enable a green and just economic recovery, governments must prioritize strategies that will reduce both greenhouse gases (GHGs) and the environmental footprint of natural resource use.

See also the answers provided to our network by each of the main political parties on mining reforms in BC: NDP | LIB | GREEN