Canadian companies are putting lives at risk. Urge the federal government to act now! | View in browser.

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.

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 unknowingly spread to four provinces by workers returning to their communities, 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?

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!