By Tariq Jeeroburkhan

Last Friday in Ottawa, I saw the way Parliament Hill is supposed to work. Representatives from all across Canada came together in one room to discuss and debate questions and matters of great importance to this country with legal legislation in mind, both existing and proposed.

The atmosphere was open, sharing and informative -- with meaningful answers being returned to meaningful questions...no, I am not referring to the hour I snuck out to take in Question Period in the House of Commons -- I am referring to the all-day conference on Bill C323 organized and hosted by MP Peter Julian and team.

Bill C323 is the latest attempt to put some sort of legal accountability in place to ensure that Canadian companies, particularly those in the extraction industries, adhere to some sort of respect for human and labour rights, particularly when dealing with countries in which Canada has treaty agreement concerns or in cases where international law has been violated.

There have been prior attempts at this sort of regulation in Canadian Parliament; the previous session of Government saw the introduction of Bill C300 by MP John McKay. That bill was defeated on the floor of the House after some intense and even threatening lobbying from Canadian mining companies, and in all likelihood Bill C323 won't pass this session because of the Conservative majority -- but that does not reduce the importance of this legislation nor the will of Canadian and International activists who know this legislation needs to be put in place.

The amount of open transgressions by Canadian resource companies operating abroad is staggering. The morning portions of the conference included presentations by several panelists who have had firsthand experience both living and visiting with peoples in regions that have been exploited by Canadian companies.

We heard specific testimonials of the disastrous effects of the extraction process used by Canadian companies from Latin America to Africa to the Philippines and Southeast Asia - all underscoring the dire need for some sort of legal framework to hold Canadian companies accountable in their actions when operating outside of Canadian jurisdiction.

Former Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nations and current professor of Indigenous Studies at Queen's University, Robert Lovelace, put it clearly.

"You wouldn't let students grade their own papers, why would you let Canadian corporations self-regulate?"

International civil claims against Canadian companies have been pursued in Canadian courts in the past. That these cases have been largely unsuccessful in either obtaining justice for the affected communities or getting the Canadian companies to change their operational procedures speaks volumes to the impunity Canadian corporations currently enjoy because there is no legal accountability framework.

We did hear of some success stories, Toronto lawyer Cory Wanless gave an update into having a Canadian mining company operating in Ecuador actually de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange. He also reported on the progress of a case his law offices are currently working on involving Peruvian villagers who have been harassed, attacked and even murdered in broad daylight by security thugs on the payroll of Canadian mining companies.

Felix Molina is a Honduran journalist with over twenty-five years of broadcasting experience and the current host of Resistencia, a radio program that has been broadcasting in support of social movements and against the current Honduran regime since the coup in 2009.

Mr. Molina reports that the de-stabilization campaign that led to the Honduran coup of 2009 was started long before and to a large extent funded by foreign companies, Canadian in particular, who knew to expect a large windfall of extraction-friendly government contracts from the new, corporate-driven regime once in place.

This was a process of political imposition from these Canadian companies that led many in the room to draw parallels with what Canadian corporate interests acting through the guise of NGOs did to the Haitian government of Jean-Pierre Aristide several years earlier, and have been participating in doing to governments worldwide as far back as the assassination of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo decades ago.

Bodia Macharia, President and Board Member of Friends of the Congo, says that the as long as Canadian corporations are allowed to continue exploiting foreign resources with impunity, Canada's role in the world will continue to decline. "Canada's reputation in the world has gone from 'helpful' to 'voyeurism'," she sees.

Reverend Shaun Friday is a minister with the United Church of Canada. In January of 2012 he organized a 14-member delegation, called the Beaconsfield Initiative, to the Philippines to study the impact of Canadian mining interests throughout the Northern Luzon region, specifically Abra province.

In August, the delegation will report its findings to the General Council of the United Church of Canada, and may be able to influence the body which develops church policy to create some sort of statement or advisory that its members can put into practice for holding our mining interests accountable in any way.

Organizations like MiningWatch and Amazon Watch have been trying to hold our mining interests accountable for years. With coordinating support from the umbrella groups like the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network or Common Frontiers, the individual organizations keep in touch and share information.

Most important for these groups working on-site is training the community members themselves to monitor and document the transgressions of the companies for themselves, so that when our governments are ready to seriously deal with the crimes of our extraction interests we will have not forgotten and we will be ready.

Diana Sarosi, Manager of Policy and Advocacy at the Nobel Women's Initiative, spent January of 2012 travelling throughout Latin America, documenting effects of mining violations on Indigenous communities, women in particular.

It is the things that she and others have seen with regards to how our extraction companies exploit people, as well as the resources, which brings about the on-going call for legal accountability to be put in place for Canadian companies.

Nick Milanovic, from the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carelton University, pointed out that there have been precedents for legal out-of-jurisdiction accountability for corporations in American law dating all the way back to 1789 -- so it's about time we got some in Canada.

Mark Rowlinson, with the United Steelworkers' Canadian National Office also made it clear that the ramifications of mining companies that take advantage of easier regulation in foreign countries will have a negative effect on the jobs available for workers at home also -- something he said that Canadians can't afford to overlook.

The information package that each participant at the conference received summarized things this way:

"In short, it is vital to our place in the world community that the Canadian Government, Canadian corporations, and ordinary Canadian citizens traveling abroad respect the human rights of non-citizens so we can effectively pursue our interests at home and around the world."

It may be even more important than that. The reality is that there is a community in the world that is progressing outside of Canada (and even the United States). If we cannot show that we are willing and able to be part of a responsible, global consensus that will keep our own accountable when they commit transgressions in other countries, then we will be left out of this progressive global community.

Some argue that this is already occurring, and has resulted in events such as Canada being denied the privilege of sitting on the United Nations Security Council when the world was put to vote in 2010.

In any event, it will be a long, determined battle by activists and concerned citizens alike, but if the convergence of the grassroots on Parliament Hill last Friday was any indication, we are up for the challenge.

RABBLE.CA

Realización, cámara y edición: Julie Vivier y Jorge Zegarra Tamayo.
Montreal, Canadá.

Conferencia sobre la lucha de los estudiantes en Chile y el combate por la gratuidad escolar dada por Camilo Ballesteros, uno de los lideres del movimiento estudiantil chileno en la ciudad de Montreal, Canadá.

Conférence donnée à Montréal sur la lutte étudiante au Chili et le combat pour la gratuité scolaire donnée par Camilo Ballesteros, un des dirigeants des mouvements étudiants du Chili.

Conference in Montreal (Canada) about the students struggle in Chile and the fight for a free education given by Camilo Ballesteros, one of the key leaders in the student mobilizations.

_ PRESS RELEASE
Contact:  Raul Burbano
Phone:    647-547-4927

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Transcending borders towards strengthening solidarity and change

Toronto, Ontario - During the month of February 2012, over 13 grassroots organizations in Toronto collaborate to highlight the struggles towards progressive and democratic transformation processes taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean, and join efforts to organize a full month of activities aiming to engage the Canadian public on how to link theses struggles and processes to local ones and strengthen solidarity across borders.

2011 has seen some significant developments in the region as nations move toward closer economic and political integration with the creation of The Community of Latin American Caribbean States (CELA). Despite the global economic crisis gripping Europe and the United States, the Latin American region has managed to bypass the worst of the economic downturn brought about by austerity measures. Instead many countries in the region have chosen to increase social spending investing in healthcare, education, and infrastructure projects that benefit the majority of its citizens.

Despite some of these positive developments, many challenges still pose a threat to local and regional sustainable development in the region. These come in the form of Free Trade Agreements and Canada plays a leading role negotiating treaties that seek to boost corporate rights, weaken democratic rights and diminish public services, lower environmental standards, and foster violations to human rights.

With that in mind, join the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network (LACSN) and its member organizations during this full month of solidarity activities and help us strengthen solidarity and change that transcends borders. Some of the activities include:

Inaugural Event:
Celebrating 13 Years of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela
When/Where: Saturday Feb 4th @ 5pm Friends House (Quaker Meeting House)

• The struggle for free public education in Chile
• Series of movie screenings and documentaries on Latin American struggles 
• Interactive discussion examining indigenous concepts of “Living Well”
• Solidarity and Social Justice Forum on Haiti
• Workshops on Bill C-23 and Canadian Environmental injustice issues
• Free Trade Agreements & resource extraction in the region
• From Occupy to Brazilian Landless Workers Movements
• Art, poetry and musical performances featuring local Latin artists

Closing Event/Party:
Live musical performances by Ruben(Beny) Esguerra and Luisito Orbegoso from Esguerra’s upcoming new album “A New Tradition”.  DJs eL man (Dos Mundos Radio) & no-capitalista.
When/Where: Saturday Feb 25th @ 9:30 pm, Vida Lounge, 1345 St. Clair Ave. West @ Lansdowne Ave

For additional information please visit the LACSN website or see attached list of events
http://lacsn.weebly.com/

_ The Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network (LACSN) stands in solidarity with the Occupy Toronto movement and their right to camp in St James Park. The occupy movement is a legitimate and peaceful manifestation of public assembly and expression protected under section two of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Occupy movement, like other expressions of discontent is a legitimate and deep seated expression of rejection of the current political, economic and social system in Canada, and across the globe; a system that seeks to benefit the few at the expense of the majority.

LACSN sees today’s court ruling by Ontario Superior Court Justice David Brown as another form to sanction the systematic criminalization of protest that has taken place in Toronto since the G8/G20 crackdown. The courts along with the police seek to hide from public view a manifestation of discontent, anger and rejection by the 99% but in reality will only fan the embers of discontent. Although they may physically clear out protestors from St. James park and their supporters, they cannot evict the courage and resolve from those that currently inhabit the park. Ideas cannot be evicted from the hearts of women and men who seek a more equitable and just society. 

Across the Americas, people have risen up and demanded that their voices be heard. On the streets of Bolivia and Honduras, in the rainforest of the Amazon, in the mountains of Chiapas, people are forming real participatory structures to address economic and environmental injustice. Occupy Toronto is part of a global movement in solidarity with these movements in Latin America and around the world, from Cochabamba to Tahir Square to Oakland to Port-au-Prince. The spirit of these movements will not be arrested.

LACSN stands in solidarity with Occupy Toronto and with movements for liberation and participation around the world.  We call on our members and allies to not stand by and watch in silence as the police attempt to evict the Occupy Toronto Camp.  Today they  attempt to evict Occupy Toronto Camp, tomorrow they may attempt to evict us from our places of assembly

LACSN Coordinating Committee

_ Betty Matamoros, activista social hondureña y Coordinadora para Centroamérica de la Alianza Social del Hemisferio, llegará a Toronto para participar en el Fórum Público “Golpes de Estado, Comercio y Derechos Humanos”.

Este evento se efectuará este próximo viernes 18 de noviembre a partir de las 7:00 p.m. en Beit Zatoun House, ubicado en el 612 Markham Street, al oeste de la estación de Bathurst.

En dicho Fórum también participará el periodista Kevin Edmonds conocedor del tema sobre Haití y el rol que la Minustah ha desempeñado en ese país.

Complementando el tema, Betty Matamoros, quien también fue vocera internacional del Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular, se referirá al caso de Honduras.

Como es sabido, en junio de 2.009,  el presidente constitucional Manuel Zelaya fue depuesto por un golpe militar apoyado por los gobiernos de los Estados Unidos y Canadá -entre otros, luego de lo cual la represión contra la oposición ha sido constante.

El Fórum es organizado por Common Frontiers- Toronto Haití Action Commitee y la Red Latino Americana y el Caribe de Solidaridad,  dentro de la serie de eventos que vienen siendo promovidos por grupos y organizaciones locales con la finalidad de informar sobre sucesos de nuestra América y la región del Caribe.

Correo Canadiense