The Mining Association of Canada has posted a response to our critique of the Mining Information Kit for Aboriginal Communities. Unfortunately, while it claims that the Kit was designed to identify both opportunities and risks, the response fails to address the substance of the issues we identified.
More troubling is the Mining Association’s characterization of MiningWatch as an “anti-mining advocacy organization” despite our clear mandate to advocate for responsible mining and to hold the industry accountable for its failure to live up to its own rhetoric. We do not oppose projects that are acceptable to the affected communities and are developed according to the highest environmental and safety standards.
Interestingly, none of the other sponsors of the Kit (Natural Resources Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Prospectors and Developers Association, and the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association) have endorsed the rebuttal.