Divestment
Canadian Mining Companies in Burma-Ivanhoe Mines
The Issue:
The Canadian mining companies in Burma provide the authoritarian military regime with a large source of income. In many cases, the Burmese government is in direct association with the Canadian mining companies, since the two parties jointly own the mining corporation.
Ivanhoe Mines (that is a Canadian organization) currently jointly owns (with the military junta) the largest mining venture in Burma. The Monywa mining project that the Burmese government and Ivanhoe Mines are currently undertaking in the North-West Monywa region is an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.
The Problems:
Ivanhoe’s ‘Monywa mining project’ involves the creation and exploitation of an open pit mine in the region. Open pit mines are the most environmentally-destructive, and socially harmful mining technique that can be used.
Among the several environmental problems that open pit mines are responsible for are: the destruction of bio-diversity, the diverting of drainage systems that can destabilize the topography which can cause mountain collapses, and the permit destruction of the land which can never be restored.
Some of the major social problems that open pit mines have been responsible for are that the chemicals used can leak into the water. If the chemicals spill into the water the individuals consuming the water and/or aquatic species in the region are in danger of suffering serious health problems including illnesses, and in some cases even death. In addition to this, the Burmese government and Ivanhoe mines are notorious for the exploitation of the regions people, by ignoring any basic labor and human rights that the Burmese people of the area are entitled to.
CFOB’s Action:
The Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) has been and is deeply committed to opposing Ivanhoe’s role in Burma. CFOB’s persistence in lobbying to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) (indirectly connected to Ivanhoe Mines) resulted (in 2006) in CPPIB reconsidering their status of equity which they hold with Ivanhoe Mines. CPPIB partially joined in putting pressure on Ivanhoe Mines to pull out of Burma. Ivanhoe has now recently indicated that the company is in the process of divesting from Burma.
Other Canadian organizations doing business in Burma
The Issue:
Other Canadian Corporations in Burma include: East Asia Gold Corp, Leeward Capital, Jet Gold Corp, TG World Energy, Transportation and Cargo Sertvices, Air Canada, CHC Helicopters, Retailers and Imports, Export Packers Company Ltd, Good Harvest Seafood, Midlands Seafoods (Winnipeg) Inc, Midlands Seafoods Inc, Saan, Tai Fong International Ltd, Trimark Athletic Supplies, Wah Loong Ltd.
The Problems:
The presence of Canadian organizations in Burma, and their ties with the authoritarian Burmese junta is problematic in that it shows the trans-national corporation’s support for the oppressive Burmese government. In addition, many of the Canadian organizations are profiting from the lenient labor and human rights standards within the nation.
CFOB’s Action:
CFOB encourages companies to completely disinvest in Burma. Actions that CFOB’s sister organization called the ‘McGill’s Burma Solidarity Collective’ has taken include lobbying the McGill University administration to take on the approach of ethical investment, and thus divest any shares that it possessed in Burma. In April 2006, the McGill University agreed decided to adopt the proposal submitted by the student group.
Thanks to our Funders
- Rights and Democracy
- Inter Pares
- Canadian Auto Workers (Social Justice Fund)
- Communications, Energy and Paper-workers Union (Humanity Fund)
- Burma Project - OSI
- Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
- Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
- Other individual donors
CFOB also receives funds from our generous individual donours.