The United Church of Canada is deeply disappointed by this news as the government has failed to create an independent office equipped with real powers to investigate abuses and redress the harm caused by Canadian companies operating abroad... For over 10 years, members across the church have joined more than 500,000 Canadians who have asked successive Canadian governments to create an effective, credible ombudsperson. They do this because they know that for global partners of the United Church, mining justice is a matter of faith as well as life and death. United Church partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have shared countless stories of lives lost and endangered because they have spoken out against the human rights abuses of some Canadian mining companies.

The United Church looks forward to the immediate implementation of the government’s original commitment to create an independent, effective, and credible ombudsperson. Today’s announcement falls short of that promise. The creation of a powerless advisory post leaves communities and individuals negatively impacted by Canadian mining companies with little hope of obtaining justice.