'Canada not walking the talk on its miners’ abuses abroad, campaigners say', 24 July 2020

• Canada is home base for nearly half of the world’s mining companies, but the country’s efforts to improve corporate accountability for environmental and human rights violations have fallen short, observers say.
• Internal documents show the government has stressed a voluntary approach to regulation, despite campaign promises to address abuses and outcry from campaigners.
• A government spokesperson says Canada has launched new initiatives to safeguard environmentalists and land-rights activists and to promote corporate responsibility.
• A recent Supreme Court decision could open the country’s legal system to allow victims of corporate abuses overseas to sue companies in Canada.

... Land rights campaigners opposed to Canadian mining operations face more threats than ever, according to the activists. And while the government’s rhetoric has stressed human rights and accountability, it hasn’t introduced binding rules to crack down on companies that commit abuses overseas.

...The documents cite data in bold from the Toronto-based Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, a legal advocacy group, noting that “28 Canadian mining companies and their subsidiaries were linked to 44 deaths, 403 injuries, and 709 cases of criminalization, including arrests, detentions, and charges in Latin America between 2000 and 2015.”...“However, strong opposition by some indigenous and environmental groups continues to pose problems for mining development. Local human rights organizations have reported abuses from mining companies, (including, in the past, from Canadian companies), and from security forces hired by these companies,” the briefing continues.

...Responding to Mongabay’s questions about the internal documents, a spokesperson for Canada’s foreign ministry said it takes corporate responsibility seriously.

“Human rights are at the core of Canada’s foreign policy,” Guillaume Bérubé, the spokesperson, said via email. “Responsible business conduct abroad represents a competitive advantage for Canadian business.”...