TheStar.com - comment - Mining companies need to be accountable
Mining companies need to be accountable

July 19, 2007 04:30 AM

*Gold mine controversy awaits PM *

*in Santiago*

*July 18*

Prime Minister Stephen Harper asserted in Chile that Barrick Gold's
Pascua-Lama project follows "Canadian standards of corporate social
responsibility." Unfortunately, no such standards exist. Canadian mining
companies have a major presence in developing countries. Mining company
operations have been associated with social conflict, human-rights
violations and environmental degradation.

In 2006, the federal government launched a consultation on corporate
social responsibility and mining companies in developing countries. The
result was consensus among industry, labour, civil society and academics
on the need for Canadian corporate accountability rules in areas such as
the environment and human rights.

Will the Harper government adopt these standards?

____________________________

Karyn Keenan,
Halifax Initiative Coalition, Ottawa