From Ontario to Panama, Indigenous communities are rising up to resist Canada’s mining industry

 

The ‘green’ transition is spurring a neocolonial rush for minerals

Around the world, Indigenous-led resistance to mining and extraction projects have been intensifying, and it is frequently Canadian companies who are the aggressors, pushing forward with neocolonial land grabs and violent state-sanctioned repression when projects are opposed by locals.

This resistance is occurring within the context of a global rush for critical minerals identified as essential for the transition away from fossil fuel energy. While this transition is celebrated by the Justin Trudeau government, Indigenous-led resistance fights are ignored by Canadian leaders, who argue critical minerals are the panacea for our current energy and climate woes.

Last year, Indigenous-led protests exploded across Peru after the ouster of President Pedro Castillo, with Canadian mining companies a target of the resistance.

The Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, administration in Mexico has overhauled its mining laws, granting the state a larger role in the sector and triggering a legal challenge from Canada. In Panama, protestors shut down a massive copper mine, Cobre Panamá, owned by one of Canada’s largest mining companies.

Closer to home, Indigenous resistance to mining in Northern Ontario’s so-called Ring of Fire impedes the Doug Ford government’s extraction plans.

Serena Vamvas, an environmentalist leader in Panama, summed up the fiery mood when she said, “Politicians are worse than ever, corrupt in every way… They sell our land for nothing. But what makes me feel hopeful is that we are starting to wake up.”

These are just some of the challenges that Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy (CMS) has faced over the past few years.  (more...)

From Ontario to Panama, Indigenous communities are rising up to resist Canada’s mining industry