(Quito, Ottawa) The presidents of the six associations of the Indigenous Shuar Peoples of Arutam (PSHA) and the president of the Shuar Arutam government, who represent 46 communities in Ecuador made a strong statement against Canadian company Solaris Copper’s jointly organized panel at this year’s Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) annual conference.

The PDAC conference is used to promote Canadian mining investment across the globe, and this year’s one-day dedication to Ecuador includes a specific panel related to that country’s consultation process. The talk, entitled “The Government of Ecuador’s new Consultation Policy for Mineral Activities,” advertises the participation of Vicente Tsakimp, President of the Shuar Peoples of Arutam, to discuss the “successful relationship” between the Shuar and Solaris Copper with respect to its Warintza project. According to the Shuar People's government, no such agreement to participate has been made, and they have no knowledge of the event.

In response to PDAC’s promotion of this panel, the PSHA produced a statement today that strongly repudiates the event:  

WE FULLY REJECT the announcement of the participation of our President in this event and note that we have not been invited to participate in it. Nor has  a delegate been elected to present at it since there has been no authorization or internal consultation within the Shuar Government’s council or its membership.

Solaris is a new spinoff company of Equinox Gold Corp. It owns the Warintza Copper-Molybdenum project in south-eastern Ecuador, within Shuar territory.

The signed statement in English and Spanish is attached to this release.