It's Time for Canada to be Open for Justice

Francisco Tiul Tut, a Guatemalan elder from Chichipate, El Estor, breaks down as his house is burned down during evictions. Photo: James Rodriguez @ mimundo.org
Imagine that your drinking water supply is polluted because of an accident at a gold mine near your community. Where would you turn? Who would compensate you for your losses? What recourse would you have?
All over the world, individuals and communities experience human rights abuses resulting from corporate activity.  In many countries though, it is extremely difficult for people to obtain justice when their human rights have been violated - and this is particularly true when the harms are caused by foreign companies or their subsidiaries.
Although state governments have a duty under international human rights law to protect people from corporate human rights abuses - and to ensure that people have access to justice when corporate human rights abuses occur - many states fail to do so.
In the few cases where people from other countries have come to Canada to seek justice for human rights violations caused by Canadian companies, they have not succeeded. This is because the existing mechanisms in Canada to address corporate human rights violations overseas are inaccessible and ineffective.

To fix this accountability gap, Amnesty International, in collaboration with the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, is calling on the government of Canada to be “Open for Justice” and not just “Open for Business”.
Specifically, we are calling for:

1. An extractive-sector Ombudsperson with the power to independently investigate complaints and make recommendations to corporations and the Government of Canada, and
2. Legislated access to Canadian courts for people who have been seriously harmed by the international operations of Canadian companies.

Call on your MP to ensure that people whose human rights have been abused by Canadian mining, oil and gas companies abroad are able to seek justice in Canada