Canadian companies are putting lives at risk. Urge the federal government to act
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Dear John,

Canada portrays itself as a safe, responsible extraction superpower, with
mining, energy and hydro-electric projects in more than 100 countries. However,
many Canadian-operated projects have been associated with serious human rights
and environmental abuses, with widespread impunity.

The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing cracks in the "Canada Brand". While some companies are taking appropriate measures, Amnesty has received
disturbing reports of failures to protect workers at more than two dozen
Canadian-operated projects across the Americas alone, leading to virus outbreaks
and community transmission.

Canadian companies are putting lives at risk. Call on Canada to act now to protect the health and safety of workers and
communities affected by Canadian-operated resource extraction projects.
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Many governments, including in Canada, have declared mining, energy and
construction as essential services, allowing companies to continue operating –
even when much of the world was on lockdown.

The frequent lack of on-site health and safety measures – like protective masks
or hand-washing facilities, adequate accommodations, food and water rations, and
safe physical distancing – is putting workers at risk, especially those with
underlying health conditions.

In Canada, more than 100 COVID-19 cases have been linked to an outbreak that
began in April at Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake oilsands project. The virus was spread to four provinces by fly-in, fly-out workers and resulted in the deaths of two Dene Elders in Saskatchewan . In Colombia, nearly 300 workers have tested posted for COVID-19 at a
construction camp for a hydro-dam funded by Export Development Canada.

Human rights defenders who speak out against resource extraction face additional
danger in some countries: COVID-19 lockdown measures have severely curtailed
their freedom of mobility, putting them at ever greater risk of harm by those
who wish to silence them.

In Colombia alone, at least 28 human rights defenders have been murdered since
March , including people killed in their homes while they complied with quarantine
measures.

Will you send a message to Foreign Affairs Minister Champagne to protect
affected workers and communities, including addressing the increased risk to
human rights defenders?
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Together, we can send a clear message to our government: People before profit. The human rights of workers and communities affected by Canadian-operated
projects must come first. Thank you so much for taking action today.

In solidarity,

Tara Scurr
Business & Human Rights Campaigner
Amnesty International Canada


P.S. The Canadian government has a duty to protect against business-related
human rights abuses, even during a crisis. Thank you for calling on Canada to protect workers and communities affected by
Canadian-operated projects now!
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