Close the International Accountability Gap in the Extractive Sector
Friends of the Earth Canada is proud to join with our colleagues as organizations committed to upholding human rights, environmental protection, and fostering equitable and sustainable economic development. To recognize that there are significant challenges associated with resource extraction in developing countries, we call on the Government of Canada to ensure that people harmed by the overseas operations of Canadian mining, oil and gas companies are able to access justice in Canada.
Canada is home to more than half of the world’s mining companies, with active projects in more than 100 countries. Environmental damage and human rights violations, including forced displacement and failure to respect the right of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent, violation of women’s rights and violation of children’s rights, have been associated with many of these projects. Those who are harmed often have nowhere to seek effective redress.
Given the existing international accountability gap, we ask the Government of Canada to take the following measures to ensure that those who are negatively affected by these operations can seek remedy in Canada:
- Create a human rights Ombudsperson for the international extractive sector, which is independent, impartial and empowered to investigate (including using gender-based analysis), report publicly and make recommendations to companies and to the government;
- Facilitate access to Canadian courts for people who have been seriously harmed by the international operations of Canadian companies, especially marginalized groups such as Indigenous peoples and women, who tend to face greater barriers in accessing justice.
Instituting these measures will help ensure that Canadian mining, oil and gas companies live up to international human rights, labour and environmental standards, including those outlined in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Signed:
- Above Ground
- Africa-Canada Forum
- Alberta Council for Global Cooperation
- Americas Policy Group
- Amnesty International Canada
- Amnistie internationale Canada francophone
- L’Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale
- British Colombia Teachers’ Federation
- Canada Tibet Committee
- Canadian Council for International Cooperation
- Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
- Canadian Jesuits International
- Canadian Labour Congress
- Canadian Union of Postal Workers
- Canadian Union of Public Employees
- Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability
- Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale
- Citizens for Public Justice
- CoDevelopment Canada
- Committee for human rights in Latin America
- Common Frontiers
- Crossroads International
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Development and Peace
- Friends of the Earth Canada
- Justice and Corporate Accountability Project
- Inter Pares
- KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
- L’Entraide Missionnaire
- Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network
- Mennonite Central Committee Canada
- Mining Injustice Solidarity Network
- MiningWatch Canada
- Pacific Peoples Partnership
- Plan International Canada
- Public Service Alliance of Canada
- Publish What You Pay Canada
- Oxfam Canada
- Oxfam Quebec
- Save the Children
- Sierra Club of BC Foundation
- Social Justice Connection
- Solidarité Laurentides Amérique Centrale
- Steelworkers Humanity Fund
- Stop the Institute (UBC)
- Unifor
- United Church of Canada
- United Steelworkers Union
- World University Service of Canada
- World Vision Canada
- World Renew
Learn more about supporting the Open for Justice campaign through the Canadian Network of Corporate Accountability and join the conversation on Twitter: #open4justice