KAIROS letter in The Hill Times: Canada shouldn’t trade on its values when seeking new partners
The Hill Times published this letter by KAIROS’ Silvia Vasquez-Olguin in its September 3, 2025 issue.
RE: Observers eye fall sitting for bills to implement still-secret trade pacts with Indonesia and Ecuador
Last October, I accompanied the delegation of Indigenous and local leaders – all women – from Ecuador, who called on Canada to reject the trade deal between the two countries which threatens their rights and the environment. Indigenous communities had not been consulted, violating their Free, Prior and Informed Consent, which Canada has a duty to observe under the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
They also called on Canada to reject the proposed investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), which undermines national sovereignty by allowing foreign corporations to sue governments that introduce policies related to public health, environmental protection and social welfare that may affect corporate profits. ISDS is so harmful to human rights and climate action that UN bodies and experts warn against using them.
I cannot stress the egregious impact that resource extraction has on women. Contrary to myth, they experience a decline in economic prosperity when mining projects come to their communities. They are often displaced, suffer the destruction of Indigenous ancestral knowledge and are subjected to various forms of gendered and sexual violence linked to the influx of male workers. They are also vulnerable to significant illness and disease when handling contaminated water, which they use in domestic work. Although rarely consulted on proposed mining projects, women typically speak out as leaders in the defense of land and water, making them more vulnerable to harmful forms of gender-based retaliation. There is a real concern for potential violent reprisals for speaking out against Canadian mining in particular, which for thirty years has undermined their communities and environments.
The delegates came to Canada at great risk to themselves.
While Canada is eager to diversify its trade partners, must we also trade our values in the process?
By Silvia Vasquez-Olguin, Global Partnerships Coordinator, Latin America and Gender Justice, KAIROS Canada.
