Canadian Embassy went too far to protect mining company interests in Mexico, critics say
Canadian diplomats and trade commissioners went further than they should have in their quest to protect the interests of mining company Excellon Resources Inc. in a dispute with local workers and landowners at a silver mine in Mexico, critics say...Landowners were upset [according to the report]...because Excellon wasn't meeting its contractual obligations, for example, to build a water treatment plant for the polluted water coming from the mine...In one email, the ambassador agreed to a meeting with the protesters "to listen, possibly to gather intel helpful to the company." ...The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade denied the accusations... Excellon's Cahill writes, "The embassy was helpful in making introductions and scheduling the two meetings.… Information was not relayed through the embassy."