NGOs question AMLO’s claims on low number of disputes with Canadian mining companies

Several civil organizations in Mexico have warned that there are dozens of environmental, labor and human rights disputes with Canadian mining companies, contradicting statements made this month by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who mentioned disagreements with only three companies.

In its January 18 morning press conference, AMLO said that of the 125 Canadian mining companies operating in the country, one has fiscal problems, while the state must take responsibility for insecurity in Guerrero, where two companies denounce extortion by organized crime.

AMLO added that most Canadian mining companies help prevent land destruction and take care of the environment and communities, and they are the ones who pay workers the most. However, the statement drew criticism from the Human Rights Node and Let’s Change It Now.

In a column for a local media, Sol Pérez, member of the Cambiémosla Ya collective, notes that the Universidad Iberoamericana has documented at least 70 mining conflicts in Mexico, 29 of which correspond to Canadian companies.

The Observatory of Mining Conflicts in Latin America (Ocmal) registers 58 mining conflicts in Mexico, while the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Chile documents 374 conflict events in 134 mining projects, and the University of Barcelona registers 149 environmental conflicts in Mexico, 32 of which correspond to mining activity, explained Pérez.

The Mexican Ministry of the Environment recently informed Minera Cuzcatlán of its intention to reassess the environmental impact study which was extended in December 2021 for another 12 years at its San José mine. Its parent company, Canadian-based Fortuna Silver, said it was taking legal action over the decision.

Megan Schneider

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