Mining firms must be accountable

Re Acquittal in Guatemala now a lawsuit in Ontario, April 10 At last, an article on victims of a Canadian mining company operating abroad.

This is but one of many terrible stories of mining repression and human rights violations experienced by local communities throughout the world.

Proof again that we cannot count on the courts of their governments to render justice. Justice must therefore be served here in Canada where the mining company is headquartered.

There is an Open for Justice campaign calling on our federal government to establish a federal extractive ombudsperson to hold our mining companies operating abroad accountable for their behaviour.

Access to Canadian courts and an ombudsperson with clout — it’s high time. Robert McElhinney, Toronto