KAIROS letter to The Hill Times: Ecuador and Canada must respect life, inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples
Re: Ecuador’s fight is for peace, human rights, and partnership with Canada
In an op-ed to The Hill Times, the Ecuadorian Ambassador rejects “any suggestion of systematic human rights violations” in his country. The sad reality is that the government of Ecuador is criminalizing Indigenous peoples who are peacefully protesting mining operations – including from Canadian companies – in their territories.
Ecuador calls them “terrorists” for saying “no” to resource extraction that continues to endanger the ecosystems that sustain them. Labeling Indigenous peoples as “terrorists” is a strategy used for too long by governments to justify the assassination of peaceful land and water defenders.
KAIROS works with Indigenous partners in Ecuador. I can attest that they are not terrorists. Their protest is not violence; it is desperation. It’s not disorder; it’s hunger. It’s not hatred; it’s pain. I can hear their voices crack under teargas, bullets and fear.
As for Canada, its response to Indigenous peoples is inconsistent. On one hand the government recognizes, as a signatory to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the significant contributions of Indigenous peoples as stewards of the world’s biodiversity and intact ecosystems. On the other, Canada’s support for mining companies includes lax corporate accountability measures that fail to stop companies from harming the very ecosystems that Indigenous people are trying to protect.
KAIROS calls on Ecuadorian and Canadian authorities to respect the life and the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples to defend their territory, to be heard and consulted and to accept and protect their decisions.
By Alfredo Barahona KAIROS Blanket Exercise Global and Newcomer Coordinator
This letter appeared in the November 24, 2025 issue of The Hill Times.
