 In a well-attended event held today on Parliament Hill, Development and Peace delivered 38 boxes filled with postcards addressed to Prime Minister Harper and signed by more than 140,000 people, coast to coast across Canada, who are calling on the Canadian Government to implement legal mechanisms to hold Canadian mining companies accountable for their actions abroad. This delivery brings the total number of cards and letters delivered to Mr Harper over the three year Development and Peace Life Before Profit campaign to well over half a million (500,000+).
The Conservative government’s recent weak response to the report of the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) only proposes voluntary action by Canadian companies operating internationally; and it displaces the blame for irresponsible behavior from mining companies on to the governments of developing countries.
Since none of the original 27 recommendations from the multi-stakeholder Round Tables were implemented as initially proposed in their March 2007 report, Development and Peace members are throwing their support behind the Private Member's Bill C-300 – the Corporate Accountability of Mining, Oil and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries Act as proposed by John McKay of the Liberal Party of Canada, which was adopted by the House of Commons on April 22, 2009, as it is more in the spirit of the National Roundtables' recommendations.
Today's presentation took place at 12:30 pm in front of the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. Speakers included Michael Casey, Executive Director, Development and Peace who said: "We're not going away. Just like today, Development and Peace and its members are continuing to stand with the people of the Global South. We insist the Canadian government listen to voters and develop and implement tough legal mechanisms to hold Canadian mining companies accountable for their actions abroad.
Bishop Ébacher, diocese of Gatineau, reminded those present that one of the most important roles of Development and Peace is to sensitize Canadians and all levels of government that the earth’s riches must to distributed fairly and with justice to all of humankind and that everyone needs to remain vigilant that this goal is achieved and sustained.
John McKay, Liberal Party of Canada, who also spoke, said: "the CSR lite approach as demonstrated by the Harper Conservatives shows the failure of this government to take issues such as the environment and corporate responsibility seriously by proposing weak, voluntary regulations as the means of addressing these issues. Bill C-300 provides strong incentives for Canadian corporations working in developing countries to follow environmental and human rights standards."
Pedro Landa, Executive Director, Caritas Tegucigalpa in Honduras and a Development and Peace partner organization, who addressed the crowd in Spanish, said: "The issues raised by the Canadian Round Tables stakeholders raised much hope in Honduras that things would finally change for us. We were greatly saddened by the pitiful response. We can but hope that the Canadian government will eventually see the light and contribute effectively by respecting the rule of justice, human rights for all and the rational and equitable use of our resources in the building of new, fairer development models."
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