Development and Peace members from Prince George Diocese presented a booth at the Minerals North Conference in Fort St. James on April 21-23, 2009. The conference is an annual event where presentations are given by various mining staff and related groups.  450 delegates attended this year, most of which worked for the mining industry. Members of the community, school groups and local politicians browsed the booths and had their questions answered by the members. Many delegates were very impressed with the Development and Peace campaign and saw this as an opportunity for northern British Columbia to take a lead role in bringing responsible mining to the South.  The Development and Peace delegates included Sergio Petrucci, Joe Haddock, Louise Evans-Salt and Pat Short.

Liberal MP John McKay’s Bill on the corporate social responsibility of Canadian mining companies operating abroad was passed in the House of Commons on April 22, with a vote of 137 for to 133 against. Development and Peace staff members Ryan Worms and Love St-Fleur were in Ottawa to hear the news. “We are very excited” reports Ryan Worms, Education Materials Officer, “this victory is without a doubt due to the hard work of our members across Canada.” Bill C-300 will now go to a consultative committee and to the Senate for another vote.

Three Development and Peace members meet with Gary Lunn, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands and Cabinet Minister.

On February 20, Nancy Stuart, Victoria DC Chair, Margie Noonan, former president of the National Council, and Donna Thompson, chair of Mr. Lunn’s parish Development and Peace committee met with Mr. Lunn for a second time.

Questioned about the lack of response by the government to the National Roundtables, Mr. Lunn answered that his government had made good progress in the area of corporate social responsibility.  He noted that Cabinet had approved Canadian standards for mining companies operating abroad in collaboration with the Canadian Mining Association. Mr. Lunn agreed to provide more information on that agreement and on the status of the Development and Peace call for an independent ombudsperson.

The members reiterated the need for legal mechanisms which would hold Canadian mining companies accountable for their actions overseas.

The Victoria DC in British Columbia has set a goal of meeting all MPs in their Diocese to get their support for the current campaign.

On February 17, Jocelyn Schaeffer and Bibiana Cujec met Dr. Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. Dr. Martin has worked in the Global South as a physician, and was familiar with and supportive of the current Development and Peace campaign. He offered to share his ideas and experiences at a future Development and Peace meeting.

Ontario Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle met with a delegation of Development and Peace members on January 23. The members spoke with him about the current Development and Peace campaign to have the government put in place the necessary legal mechanisms to hold Canadian companies responsible for their actions in other countries. They were impressed with Mr. Gravelle’s understanding of the behaviour of Canadian mining companies in the Global South. Mr. Gravelle had already signed the card in his parish and supports the campaign.

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.