In November, 2008, Alexandra Mendes, Member of Parliament for Brossard-La Prairie, received over 1,000 postcards from the annual Development and Peace campaign. These cards called for the federal government to hold Canadian mining companies responsible for their actions overseas.

Mrs. Mendes responded very positively to the campaign and officially signed a card addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She expressed her intention of officially presenting the cards in the House of Commons.

Members of Development and Peace are continuing their meetings with Members of Parliament in order to increase the visibility of the organization’s new campaign. This time, they visited the MP for the Louis-Hébert riding, Pascal-Pierre Paillé.

“Ecological disasters caused abroad by the negligence of certain Canadian mining companies hurt entire communities and contribute to damage the reputation of Canada” said Jocelyne Couillard, a member of the delegation. Over 1,000 action cards, signed by the citizens of Louis-Hébert, were presented to the MP. The photo above depicts Mrs. Couillard, Mr. Paillé, Roger Bélisle and Pierre Godin.

Three members of Development and Peace in Beauce, Quebec (Luc Paré, René Baillargeon and Denis Vallée) and Mudzo Marachro, a Congolese refugee who just became a Canadian citizen, recently handed Member of Parliament Maxime Bernier 351 postcards signed by members of his riding. These cards asked the Prime Minister to put in place legal measures to ensure that Canadian mining companies are responsible for their activities abroad.

The delegation also informed the MP about the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the  African Great Lakes region. A press release sent out by the members mentioned that “Bernier said that he was moved by the concrete testimony of this Congolese woman that is so different from what is often transmitted by official channels”. Moreover, “the MP committed to discuss with his colleagues” the issue of the corporate social responsibility.

On December 16, 2008, Gaston Savage and Darquise Poupart, Development and Peace members from the Orléans region, met with their Member of Parliament, Mr. Royal Galipeau.

Mr. Galipeau reaffirmed his interest in the Development and Peace campaign and asked the members to send him more campaign cards in English and to contact other MPs in the region.

Mr. Galipeau was present during the 40th anniversary celebrations of Development and Peace and presented the organization with a commemorative plaque.