OTTAWA—A group of 30 environmental and Indigenous organizations from across Canada and around the world are calling on the federal government to defend human rights, Indigenous participation, and transparency as nations discuss opening one of the planet’s last untouched ecosystems to mining.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is responsible for governing seabed resources in international waters. It is currently negotiating a mining code that will allow mining in the deep sea to go forward, despite overwhelming societal pushback against the emerging industry. Those in favour of a moratorium on mining include many Indigenous groups, scientists, civil society organizations, and corporations, as well as twenty-five countries and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Canada is among the countries that support a moratorium. However, at the last ISA meeting, Canada failed to defend stakeholder participation in the meetings—notably the request from Indigenous observers, some of whom had travelled halfway around the world, not to be removed from discussions about how mining operations could affect their underwater cultural heritage. At the same meeting, Canada failed to defend the human right to protest, which is closely linked to freedom of navigation and freedom of expression.

In a letter submitted to Ministers Joly, Wilkinson, Lebouthillier, and Guilbeault, Oceans North and 29 other organizations reminded Canada of the leadership it had shown in the past and asked those in charge to ensure that representatives attending future ISA meetings stand by the country’s values and commitments. The next meeting will take place in Kingston, Jamaica in July.

For more information, please contact:

Alex Tesar
Communications Manager
Oceans North
[email protected]