Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to join virtually today, and again, as other members have done, I wish everyone a happy Earth Day.
The petition I am raising today is not a happy story. However, it is all too typical. There are a lot of examples of Canadian mining companies operating particularly in Latin America, where there are allegations of human rights and environmental abuses.
In this case, petitioners wish to raise and bring to the attention of the House the situation for indigenous people of Guatemala, the Xinka people, who have been for many years opposing the Escobal mine, which is an operation of the Pan American Silver company registered in Vancouver.
Currently the position of the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise is vacant, so petitioners are looking to the House of Commons and to the Canadian government to take action. The Escobal mine has been opposed by the Xinka people. The story is long and complex, so I will summarize. It has involved the murder of local indigenous people who oppose the mine. The courts in Guatemala stopped the company from operating until consultations could take place, but now, over the objections of the Xinka people, the mining operation wishes to proceed.
The petitioners point out that Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and that Canadian mining companies must not violate indigenous people's rights to free, prior and informed consent. They call on Canadian authorities to direct Canadian consular officials to protect the Xinka defenders and to fully implement “Voices at Risk: Canada's Guidelines on Supporting Human Rights Defenders” to protect their safety and to preserve the rights of the people of Guatemala and the natural environment there.