Momentum builds to make Canada Open for Justice
Since the Open for Justice Campaign launched a year ago, 90,000 Canadians have taken action in support of Canadian mining accountability overseas, and there have been more than 65 meetings with Members of Parliament in ridings across the country.
This groundswell of citizen support is making an impact.
Thanks to this initiative, led by KAIROS’ advocacy partner, the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, public awareness about mining justice is rising in both our churches and the wider community. And, more and more Parliamentarians are voicing support for the two key political reforms at the heart of the campaign: the creation of an extractive-sector Ombudsman; and legislated access to Canadian courts for those who have been harmed by Canadian corporate activity abroad.
Earlier this month, MPs had a chance to demonstrate publicly their commitment to corporate accountability reform in Canada. On October 1st, the Ombudsman Bill (Bill C-584), which was tabled by Quebec MP Ѐve Péclet, came up for a second reading vote in the House of Commons. Opposition MPs supported the bill unanimously, but sadly no government MPs voted in favour. The final tally: 127 in favour, 150 against.
Despite the disappointing outcome, this vote is a palpable measure of the campaign’s success to date: unanimous support from all four opposition parties, including their leaders. They agree that it’s time for Canada to create an Ombudsman that can investigate and make recommendations regarding the human rights impact of the Canadian extractive sector operating abroad.
KAIROS would like to thank everyone who took part in the first year of the Open for Justice Campaign. Of course, the campaign is not over! Stay tuned for more information about a new campaign action that KAIROS will launch in November for the first Sunday of Advent.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY:
Please write to your MP to express your views about how he or she voted on the Ombudsman Bill, C-584. To find out how your MP voted, consult the official voting record on the Parliamentary website:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HouseChamberBusiness/ChamberVoteDetail.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=2&FltrParl=41&FltrSes=2&Vote=246
To find your MP’s email address, click his or her name to access an MP Profile. In order to track your responses, please also send a copy of your message to us at KAIROS (ithomson@kairoscanada.org).
For more information, contact: Ian Thomson, Resources and Rights Partnerships Coordinator, ithomson@kairoscanada.org, 613-235-9956 ext. 222.
