Environmental defenders testify about attacks in Latin America linked to Canadian mining companies

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights heard testimony Oct. 27 from representatives of six countries alleging harm linked to Canadian mining companies’ operations, including four alleged attacks on environmental defenders.

The regional agency gathered in Panama to examine Canada’s obligations with respect to its extractive companies and their impact overseas on human rights and the environment.

Canada is home to about half of the world’s publicly listed mining and mineral exploration companies with operations both in Canada and abroad. The latest revelations add to long-standing concerns about the conduct of Canadian mining companies overseas.

Marco Manobanda, an Indigenous fish-farmer from Las Naves, Ecuador, testified that the El Domo copper and gold mine, owned by two Vancouver-based companies, Silvercorp Metals Inc. and Salazar Resources Ltd., is causing deforestation and water contamination where he lives, impacting the ecosystem and his livelihood.

“If this mining continues, they’re going to keep polluting our water, and we’ll run out of resources. And since we make our living from that land and its resources, where are we supposed to go?” Manobanda said.

The hearing comes about four months after the government eliminated the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), which was created to investigate complaints about human rights abuses and environmental harm linked to Canadian companies in the garment, mining and oil and gas sectors operating outside of Canada. In the wake of this decision, advocates say they have been left with limited options to seek meaningful redress.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an independent body of the Organization of American States (OAS), of which Canada is a member, created to promote and protect human rights across the Americas.

Unlike many other members of the OAS, Canada hasn’t ratified the American Convention on Human Rights, and as a result, the commission can’t refer Canada to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which has the power to mandate remedies. The commission can, however, offer non-binding recommendations.

Civil society witnesses asked the commission to recommend that the Canadian government adopt mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, strengthen independent accountability mechanisms, and improve access to redress for communities affected by the operations of Canadian corporations.

They also called on the government to provide assistance to Canadian companies, like public financing, export credit, investment support, and insurance, contingent on human rights and environmental safeguards and to improve transparency on human rights and environmental risks.

Among the witnesses were four individuals who allege attacks on environmental defenders in their countries related to the mining operations of Canadian companies. Latin America has been considered the deadliest region for environmental defenders every year since 2012, according to research from U.K.-based NGO Global Witness.

In Ecuador, in June 2025, the military and police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful protest, injuring multiple people to protect the interests of the mining companies, according to advocates.

Manobanda alleged that residents continue to face military presence, threats, harassment, and raids and that more than 30 people have faced criminal charges, with many sentenced to years in prison.

U.N. Special Rapporteurs have raised concerns about the situation for opponents of this project.

Silvercorp Metals and Salazar Resources were contacted by Mongabay for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

Mayerly López from Colombia testified about escalating threats against people attempting to protect the Santurbán páramo from gold mining activities by Aris Mining Corporation in the Soto Norte project. The páramo area is a biodiverse high-altitude ecosystem, and an important water source for two million Colombians, according to López.

She said the new Colombian government has rolled back environmental protections for the area, and those resisting the project, like herself, face stigmatization.

“It’s important to bring this to the Inter-American Commission so that it calls on the Colombian government to protect Santurbán, but also on Aris Mining to fulfill its obligations, and for Canada to demand that Aris Mining comply with its obligations,” López said.

She said faces of environmental defenders have appeared on pamphlets, circulated in town and on social media, linking them to armed groups and illegal activities.

Global Witness found Colombia to be the “world’s deadliest country” for environmental defenders. Last year, it counted 39 killings, and nearly half of those killed were Indigenous.

Aris Mining Corp., based in Vancouver, was contacted by Mongabay for a comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

Other witnesses shared concerns about mining activity in Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Argentina.

Charis Kamphuis, Canadian lawyer and member of the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, testified that Canada’s failure to create effective mechanisms to address abuse allegations violates its international human rights obligations.

“Despite nearly three decades of knowledge of these risks and harms, Canada continues to fail to meet these obligations,” Kamphuis said in a press release.

The Justice and Corporate Accountability Project wrote in a statement to the commission that the closure of the CORE eliminated the possibility of an international human or environmental rights complaint against a Canadian company undergoing an administrative review in Canada.

At the time of its closure, Global Affairs Canada, the department that oversaw the office, said it was streamlining the CORE’s work into the National Contact Point (NCP).

NCP offices operate in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as non-judicial grievance mechanisms for alleged breaches of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, non-binding principles for ethical business conduct.

“The position actually completely lacks teeth,” said Arturo Ezquerro-Cañete, Latin America program coordinator with MiningWatch Canada. He said recommendations are non-binding and the office can’t compel disclosures of documents or make findings of fact.

“It’s very much geared towards continuing dialogue between the groups but not resolving issues when there’s been very serious documented cases of human rights violations. So, it’s totally, uh, unequipped,” Ezquerro-Cañete said.

In September, Mongabay reported on the weak track record of Canada’s National Contact Point. Only three of 33 cases it has handled since 2000 have resulted in formal joint agreements, and critics say it lacks the independence and investigative powers needed to uncover abuses.

However, Gillian Gillard, Canada’s representative to the OAS in Washington, D.C. in the U.S., touted the NCP as an answer to the concerns raised by witnesses.

“The work of the NCP aims to support early resolution, prevent escalation, and strengthen corporate due diligence,” Gillard said.

Adding, “No framework can eliminate all risks. However, Canada expects companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and address adverse impacts associated with their operations and business relationships.”

Commissioners pressed for details on how Canada independently investigates allegations of human rights abuses and verifies that its companies are complying with human rights standards abroad. Gillard did not answer the question directly, and instead listed a variety of related and unrelated initiatives.

Mongabay asked Global Affairs Canada to respond to concerns that the Canadian Government’s oversight of the country’s mining companies abroad is failing to prevent harm and ensure remedy. It did not respond by the time of publication.

Banner image: Mayerly López from Colombia, Marco Manobanda, an Indigenous fish-farmer from Las Naves, Ecuador. Image courtesy of Earthworks.

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Cite this article

Annie Burns-Pieper (2026). Environmental defenders testify about attacks in Latin America linked to Canadian mining companies. Mongabay Conservation news. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66709/news-334622

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Andy Lehren Investigations Editor

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