CPTnet
15 September 2006

TORONTO: CPT Colombia Team brings case of mining zone human rights abuses
to Canadian government roundtable

Members of eight Canadian government departments as well as dozens of
representatives from civil society organizations and industry, heard in
Toronto, Canada, this week of the human rights abuses suffered by Colombian
civilians in the South of Bolivar. Paramilitary and army units have
prepared the way in this region for multinational corporations seeking
mining rights to its rich gold deposits. (See 10 June and 28 July 2006
CPTnet releases, "The South of Bolivar Has Risen from Blood," and "The
miners' wisdom and the technocrats; Knowledge.")

The Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in Colombia is part of a nation-wide
campaign calling on the federal government to impose mandatory measures on
Canadian mining, oil, and gas companies to ensure they uphold international
human rights and environmental standards while operating abroad. The
Roundtables are a welcome first step in dealing with the widespread abuses
of Canadian companies such as those linked to Conquistador's operations in
the South of Bolivar in the late 90's. Small miners and farmers in the
region still talk about the assassinations, disappearances, and threats they
have endured and associate with the activities of Conquistador.

Meeting in four Canadian cities between June and November 2006, the
objective of the Roundtables as stated by the Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade is "to examine measures that could be taken to
position Canadian extractive sector companies operating in developing
countries to meet or exceed leading international Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) standards and best practices." Participants in the
Toronto Roundtable, the second in the series, heard from both industry and
civil society representatives about what is currently being done to meet
these standards and what more could be done.

Industry representatives offered examples of ways in which they believe they
are working with local communities to alleviate poverty through provision of
needed capital and expertise as well as through employment, education, and
health programs. Only voluntary standards for corporate accountability,
they argue, are necessary.

Joel Klassen spoke for the Colombia Team, as well as other civil society
speakers--including representatives from the Anglican Archdiocese, Friends
of the Earth, and the Steelworkers' Union, among others. He countered that
the lack of effective monitoring, verification, and enforcement mechanisms
means corporations often do not meet these standards, even though companies
receive government financial and political support.

"These crimes will be repeated unless adequate measures are taken to prevent
them," said Klassen, referring to accounts documented by CPT in the South of
Bolivar. "You don't deal with crimes against humanity by voluntary
measures."

"The moral imperative," Klassen concluded, "is clear: people want to have
decisive say over their own lives. They want liberty. We must take
seriously the stories coming out of mining zones around the world, stories
of liberty denied far too often--the central question we are facing in these
roundtables, in this laborious process of policy development, is, 'Do we
want to build policy with soul? Are we morally capable as a nation of taking
the interests of others into account?"