Canadian gov’t responds to House petition on human rights violations in PH

Canadian gov’t responds to House petition on human rights violations in PH

Marc Garneau, Foreign
Affairs Minister

By Mila Astorga-Garcia
The Philippine Reporter

The Canadian government issued a statement through the Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau in response to a parliamentary petition asking Canada to act in light of the intensifying extrajudicial killings and red-tagging of human rights defenders, and other human rights abuses in the Philippines.

“The Government of Canada expects Canadian companies active abroad, including in the Philippines, to abide by all relevant laws, to respect human rights in their operations, and to adopt voluntary best practices and internationally respected guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises,” starts the official statement which was tabled in Parliament on April 12, 2021.

Heather McPherson, MP
Edmonton Strathcona

“Canada is committed to leading by example and promoting democracy, human rights and environmental protection,” the statement continues.

Specifically, the statement cites that in 2018, “Canada implemented the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), an initiative to strengthen Canada’s approach to responsible business conduct for Canadian companies doing business and operating abroad.”

The CORE’s mandate includes to “review allegations of human rights abuses arising from the operations of Canadian companies abroad in the mining, oil and gas and garment sectors.”

“To fulfill this important mandate, the Ombudsperson has the ability to initiate a review on her own initiative, undertake joint or independent fact finding, make recommendations, follow up on the implementation of those recommendations and report publicly throughout the process,’ the statement explains.

It further informs that the CORE’s office launched its online complaint process for reporting potential human rights abuses,” on March 15, 2021.

It further declares in general terms that “Canada is deeply committed to the protection and promotion of human rights and indigenous rights around the world, including the Philippines.”

It mentions a commitment to adopt Voices at Risk Guidelines on Supporting Human Rights Defenders, “which offer practical advice to Canadian diplomats working around the world.”

CATHERINE COUMANS

Why was Canada asked to respond to the human rights situation in the Philippines?

“Canada is implicated in the rights abuses through its military assistance to the Philippines and the role that Canadian mining companies play in the country,” according to a statement issued by Mining Watch Canada and the International Coalition for Human Rights (ICHRP-Canada) that started the Parliamentary Petition in 2020. (See “Petition vs. human rights abuses in the Philippines,” The Philippine Reporter, Feb 26-March 11, 2021.)

The petition, which was signed by over 5,000 concerned Canadians, and tabled in the House of Commons February 25, 2021, by Member of Parliament of Edmonton, Strathcona Heather MacPherson, cites specific incidents of human rights abuses and forwards recommendations.

It states: “Whereas:

• Canadian corporation OceanaGold has operated a mine in Didipio, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines since 2013;

• The people of Didipio, supported by their municipal and provincial governments, oppose the renewal of OceanaGold’s mining permit, which expired on June 20, 2019;

• On April 6, 2020, some 100 Philippine National Police violently dispersed some 29 primarily indigenous Ifugao residents maintaining Didipio’s peaceful People’s Barricade that is authorized by municipal and provincial governments and started on July 1, 2019;

• The Philippine National Police escorted three fuel trucks into the mine site using excessive force to break up the human barricade;

• Rolando Pulido was beaten and arrested, and others were wounded; and

• On April 7, 2020, Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen Antonio Parlade, Jr. issued a public statement “red-tagging” several environmental and disaster response organizations, including those supporting Didipio residents.

“We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:

1. Strengthen rules for Canadian businesses operating overseas and uphold human rights;

2. Make the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise independent and empowered to compel evidence and witness testimony under oath;

3. Enact a human rights due diligence law that compels businesses to respect international human rights;

4. Hold hearings on the human rights situation in the Philippines in the parliamentary human rights sub-committee during the current session of Parliament;

5. End Canadian support to the Government of the Philippines, including socio-economic and financial programming, tactical, logistical and training support, military sales and defence cooperation; and

6. Mandate Canadian consular personnel to protect human rights defenders.’

Asked to comment on the Canadian government’s response to the petition, Catherine Coumans of Mining Watch Canada said:

“The response from the Canadian government was very disappointing. In regard to protecting human and environmental rights defenders, who are at such great risk in the Philippines now, the Canadian government simply points to ineffective policies, such as Voices at Risk, that in reality will do nothing concrete to protect Filipinos at risk. In regard to dealing with the increased risk posed to Filipinos by Canadian mining companies operating in the Philippines, the Canadian government points to the creation of an Ombudsperson’s office but fails to mention that this government reneged on its commitments to make this office effective by giving it robust powers to investigate Canadian mining companies, including powers to compel company documents and witnesses. By removing these powers from the Ombudsperson she is toothless and ineffective.”

Asked what the next steps would be, Coumans said:

“We are pushing for hearings in the parliamentary human rights subcommittee so that we can delve into these issues in greater depth. We want the Ombudsperson to be given the powers to compel documents and witnesses so that she can really hold Canadian mining companies to account and we want legislation that will allow Filipino human rights defenders to be given refuge in Canada in order to save their lives.”