Two hours late and in the presence of a huge security entourage that included guards, police and special forces, Stephen Harper arrived at the offices of Barrick Gold and entered through the parking area, in order to avoid the peoples' protest that started at 8:00 am at the entrance to the building.

Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, continues creating controversy in his visit to our country. After refusing to visit with communities affected by large Canadian mining companies in Chile, he declared yesterday "Barrick is following Canadian norms in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility, and will follow all of the rules with regards to the project." Today, when he visited the offices of Barrick, he had to enter through the backdoor to avoid the chants and yells that revealed that the company is not complying with the promised standards.

Canadian organizations have assured us that these declarations are a ruse, because corporate social responsibility standards have yet to be defined. In other words, they don't exist.

Harper stayed in the office for about half an hour, while representatives of the communities read a declaration that they later tried to hand deliver to Harper. Harper didn't receive it, but the company did, and promised to pass it to the highest Canadian authority.

It was a surprise for all of us that an official visitor in our country had to enter and exit through the backdoor, against traffic, and with a security effort that seemed more suited to guarding a dangerous delinquent than to the care of a state official.

[See declaration from protestors]