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KAIROS Calls for Binding Legislation at Federal Roundtable in Calgary on Oil, Gas and Mining – Colombian Mine Union Activist ParticipatesMEDIA ADVISORY
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For Immediate Release
(Calgary/Toronto) – KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives will be among presenters at the federal government’s national roundtable on resource extraction this week and will renew its call for binding legislation to ensure Canadian mining companies operating abroad adhere to internationally accepted human rights and environmental standards.
Representatives of KAIROS’ national staff and local Calgary committee will make formal presentations at the roundtable on Tuesday and Wednesday. Lilia Castaneda of Sintraminercol, a Colombian mine workers’ union and a member of the International Network of Women and Mining, will attend both the public and private sessions of the roundtable and will speak about how Canadian mining companies have affected Indigenous communities.
KAIROS is a national ecumenical nongovernmental organization (NGO) representing eight different denominations that works on social justice issues in Canada, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. KAIROS was amongst a coalition of NGOs that appeared before a parliamentary subcommittee in May 2005 to advocate for the binding legislation after its overseas partners described the devastating impact of some Canadian mining companies on their local communities.
The coalition’s recommendations were adopted by the parliamentary subcommittee in its submission to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Paul Martin’s Liberal government agreed to study the issue further in a series of public roundtables. The roundtables began in June under the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and include representatives from the mining, oil and gas sectors and from the developing country host communities in which they operate. The Calgary roundtable is one of four being held across Canada this year that consists of both public and private sessions.
Who: Reverend Clint Mooney of the KAIROS-Calgary committee; Ian Thomson, KAIROS Program Coordinator for Corporate Social Responsibility; and Lilia Castaneda of Sintraminercol, a Colombian mine workers’ union, and of the International Network of Women and Mining.
| What: | Federal government roundtable on resource extraction |
| Where: | Delta Bow Valley Hotel, 209 4th Avenue South East, Calgary |
| When: | Reverend Mooney and Ian Thomson will be available for interviews prior to and following their presentations. Lilia Castaneda is available for interviews from 12PM-1PM on Thursday, October 12, 2006 following the closing of the private sessions of the federal roundtable. |
Media Contact
Adiat Junaid
Communications Coordinator
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
(416) 463 5312 ext. 223
ajunaid
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