Video reveals impact of Canadian mining operations

An 11-minute video that shows the impact of Canadian mining operations on indigenous communities and offers theological reflections on resource extraction is now available for use by individuals and churches.

Prepared by Kairos, a Canadian ecumenical justice network, “Remember the Land” includes the voices of church leaders and grassroots activists around the world who advocate for mining justice. About 150 of them gathered in Toronto for a conference last May and shared stories of how mining operations, including many that are Canadian-owned, have displaced indigenous communities, destroyed ecosystems and traditional ways of life, and given rise to human rights violations.

The video is “the story of peoples from the Global South who are engaged in struggles to protect the land that they know and love; the land that sustains them materially, culturally and spiritually; the land that has its own deep, inherent worth,” said Kairos in a press statement.

Canada is home to 75 per cent of the world’s mining and mineral exploration companies, and its stock exchanges trade 40 per cent of the world’s mineral exploration capital, according to the justice network.

The video, which can be used in group settings for Sunday reflection or coffee hour, includes a four page study guide to facilitate discussions, as well as other educational resources. The guide includes questions based on reflections offered in the video. Indigenous National Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald asks Canadians to reconsider their “understanding of and relationships with indigenous peoples,” for instance.

To order a copy of the video and download the guide, click here.