Catholic group exposes dirty side of Canadian mining operations

[jennie]

Catholic group exposes dirty side of Canadian mining operations

Sep 08, 2007 04:30 AM

Stephen Scharper

Is mining a religious issue? For many Canadian Christian organizations, the answer is a definitive yes.

One such group is the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), the international development arm of Canada's Catholic bishops.

Last fall, CCODP launched a report entitled Calling Canadian Mining to Account, encouraging mining companies to adhere to the same environmental and human rights standards abroad that prevail at home. Collecting more than 150, 000 letters, they also urged Ottawa to actively monitor Canadian mining operations, particularly in underdeveloped nations.

According to CCODP, Canadian mining companies have been implicated in documented cases of human rights violations and environmental tragedies around the world. These include toxic dumping, the despoiling of protected areas, forcible displacement of indigenous peoples, and threats and intimidation of local communities.

Christian activists contend that this is not a case of "a few bad apples": Canadian mining firms, they assert, have been involved in human rights abuses and environmental disasters in more than 30 countries.

http://www.thestar.com/article/254421

[bush_cheney2004]

Old news.....from earlier this year on MLW

Made In Canada: Violence & Displacement

The devastation and violence perpetrated by Canadian mining corporations has been documented clearly with links to human rights violations in Guatemala, Peru, Romania, the Philippines, Honduras, Ecuador, Bolivia, Ghana, Suriname, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, India, Indonesia, Zambia and Sudan.

Edited September 10, 2007 by bush_cheney2004