As part of Development and Peace’s latest national awareness raising campaign “Canadian mining called to account!” Canadians are being urged to sign an action letter demanding that Ottawa hold mining companies accountable for their activities abroad. The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace is also demanding that the federal government deny support to Canadian mining companies who violate international environmental and human rights standards. These demands follow on from the recommendations of an all-party Parliamentary committee, that held extensive hearings last year on the issue. In June 2005, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade called on the government to regulate the activities of Canadian extractive resources companies overseas.

Over the next months, the 13,000 members of Development and Peace across the country will take part in the national campaign to bring this major issue to the attention of all Canadians. Action letters addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada will be distributed in all parishes and at many public events organized to raise awareness. All Canadians have an opportunity to become involved by signing the action letter which is available on the Development and Peace Web site: www.devp.org.

To give its campaign an even larger reach, Development and Peace has joined with the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) to urge the federal government to regulate the operating standards of Canadian mining, oil and gas companies overseas. The CNCA’s call was made in Vancouver last June, at the first of four roundtables across Canada where government, industry and civil society come together to discuss companies' accountability abroad. The second roundtable was held last week in Toronto, and two more will take place, the first in Calgary in October, the second in Montreal in November.

“By supporting this action campaign, all individuals can take concrete measures to put an end to human rights violations and major environmental problems involving Canadian mining companies. These businesses have a duty to conduct their activities in the Global South in a transparent and responsible manner, while it is Ottawa’s obligation to see that they do,” commented Margie Noonan, President of Development and Peace.

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Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis, a network of 162 autonomous, Catholic, emergency relief, development and social service organizations working in 200 countries and territories. Last year, Development and Peace provided $18.4 million to support 309 long-term development projects and 72 emergency relief projects in the Global South.