Who's Minding the Mines?

Summary: Canada has the largest mining industry in the world, bar none, but we also have one of the worst reputations. Who’s holding Canada accountable for its abuses in developing countries? A mining watchdog agency has done little to protect communities abroad, critics say. In 2009, the federal government appointed a corporate social responsibility counsellor to probe complaints about Canadian companies committing abuses in developing countries. The Toronto-based office, however, has only received two complaints in the past two years — one of which was recently dropped because the mining corporation chose not to undergo the voluntary investigation.