The PPT met in Montreal from May 29 to June 1° at the request of a group of over 40 organizations from Quebec and the rest of Canada. The Tribunal identified a pattern of systematic human rights violations caused by the Canadian mining industry in Latin America. During the public hearings, the Tribunal assessed the responsibilities of Canadian mining companies, the Canadian State and its various agencies which, by means of political, economic and legislative instruments, combine to determine the violation of human and peoples’ rights and their impunity. The Tribunal heard statements from some 20 witnesses and experts on the rights at risk of being undermined by the implementation of mining projects: the right to life and a healthy environment, the right to self-determination and the right to full citizenship. The charges brought against Canadian companies concerned political support and interference in the legislative processes of host States, economic and financial support, official development assistance and access to justice. Based on the documentation submitted to the Panel of Judges, the Tribunal recognized several components of the Canadian mining industry responsible for violations of human and peoples’ rights. The co-responsibility of the Canadian state and the Latin American countries in which these companies operate has also been affirmed, for failing to prevent violations, for tolerating and covering them up, and for hindering communities’ access to adequate protection mechanisms.
Requesting organisations:
- Entraide missionaire
- Committee for Human Rights in Latin America (CHRLA)
- Justice transnationales extractives (JUSTE)
- Projet Accompagnement Solidarité Colombie (PASC)
- the Polaris Institute
- Alternatives
- the Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l’environnement et à l’écocitoyenneté
(Centr’ERE) of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) - Coalition québécoise sur les impacts socio-environnementaux des transnationales en Amérique latine (QUISETAL)
Documentation:
Download the Judgement in English
Download the Judgement in Spanish