From the left, Fanny Kaekat, Zenaida Yasacama, Hortencia Zhagüi and Ivonne Ramos are photographed after an interview on Sept 30. The four Indigenous women from Ecuador were visiting Canada to raise awareness around Canadian mining abuses in Ecuador.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
A delegation of Indigenous women from Ecuador has come to Canada to urge federal officials to halt a free-trade agreement that is being negotiated with Ecuador and to raise their concerns over Canadian mining projects in their communities.
The four women leaders say that Canadian mining projects destroy their environment and bring violence to their communities. They’ve come ahead of the fourth round of trade talks, and they worry a free-trade agreement will expand Canadian resource extraction investment in Ecuador. They say there has been no consultation with Indigenous nations and rural communities there, even though they repeatedly raise concerns.
Zenaida Yasacama of the Kichwa Ancestral People of Pakayaku and vice-president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, the largest Indigenous rights organization in the country, said when mining workers come to their communities, they bring environmental violence, and sexual violence. She told The Globe and Mail in an interview that they have travelled to Canada from a place that has become very violent.
“These Canadian companies cause a lot of trouble for us because our organizations are there to defend the land and we will continue to defend the land,” she said. “If necessary, we will give our lives to defend our land because we want to preserve the land for future generations. We are here as protectors of the jungle, and we are here to reject the destruction of our environment.”
Ecuador is a key trading partner for Canada, said Jean-Pierre J. Godbout, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, with bilateral merchandise reaching $1.4-billion and Canadian direct investment totalling $4.4-billion in 2023, primarily in the mining sector and critical minerals essential for the global green energy transition.
He said Canada is pursuing a free-trade agreement with Ecuador that will increase bilateral trade and create “meaningful benefits for Canadians and Ecuadoreans.”
Mr. Godbout said broad engagement, including with Indigenous peoples, is a priority. He said Canadian officials look forward to meeting with the visiting delegation.
“We remain a strong advocate for the full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples around the globe in international matters that affect them. Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decisions that affect them at the global, regional and local levels,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Godbout said that through the Global Affairs-funded Technical Assistance Partnership – Expert Deployment Mechanism initiative Canada supports dialogue between the government of Ecuador and Indigenous groups for national and subnational free, prior and informed consent processes.
He said Ottawa expects Canadian companies abroad to “abide by laws, respect human rights, and adopt best practices on responsible business conduct.”
There are at least 15 Canadian mining companies working in Ecuador and many are facing allegations of abuse, Amnesty International Canada said in a press release. Amnesty and other non-governmental organizations are supporting the Indigenous delegates’ visit. Some of the allegations the statement mentions include conducting exploration work in Indigenous territories without consultation and collaborating with state security forces to crack down on any protest.
The Canadian Mining Association said no one was available to comment.
Fanny Kaekat is a leader with the Shuar Arutam People and a member of the Amazonian Defenders of the Forest, a collective of women from seven Indigenous nations in the Amazon region. She said Canadian mining projects in her region are destroying the environment, causing pollution and stoking divisions in the community.
“We feel very alone. But our voice here is to bring that message from our people to Canada so that Canadians know what the companies from their country are doing.”
Ms. Kaekat also raised concerns with the free-trade agreement, saying Indigenous leaders have been kept in the dark.
The delegation said they are also concerned that the government of Ecuador could use investor-state dispute mechanisms in the trade deal at the request of the mining industry.
Investor-state dispute settlement is a form of private arbitration that allows foreign investors to sue governments that strengthen environmental protections.
David Boyd, then-UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, issued a report last year saying that investor-state dispute settlements have devastating consequences for the environment and human rights.
Ketty Nivyabandi, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, said that the federal government is obligated to ensure its trade agreements do not undermine human rights, especially those of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities.
“Amid widespread human-rights violations in Ecuador, particularly in mining-affected communities, we are deeply concerned that Canada-Ecuador trade negotiations and promotion of more Canadian mining in Ecuador threaten to make a bad situation worse. We urge the Canadian government to act on our repeated calls for an independent human-rights impact assessment.”