No justice for victims of Canuck sins abroad
Re The Case Against Tahoe Resources, by Christian Peña (NOW, December 10-16). It’s profoundly discouraging that the BC Supreme Court dismissed the case brought by Guatemalan farmers against Canadian mining company Tahoe Resources, alleging abuse by company security forces. It highlights why Canada needs legislation to allow those who feel harmed by Canadian companies overseas to access Canadian courts.
KAIROS recently co-hosted a panel discussion in Toronto with Luis Solano, an investigative journalist who’s studied Tahoe Resources’ operations in Guatemala. Solano found that local opposition to Tahoe’s mine is often “criminalized” and in some cases met with a military response.
Legislation to provide access to the Canadian justice system would mean that the seven Guatemalan farmers allegedly fired on by Tahoe’s security forces could have their case heard in Canada. It is long overdue.
Rachel Warden, KAIROS, Toronto
Right to sue should be a two-way street
Re Canadian Companies Behaving Badly, by Michelle Adelman (NOW, December 10-16). Systems that are not two-way streets are unjust. If there are to be Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals to settle trade disagreements, then all levels of government and their citizens must also be allowed to counter-sue corporations for the ruinous impacts of their exploitation on our social fabric, environment, health and depleted and polluted non-renewable resources.
Bob Phelps, From nowtoronto.com
Bad trade policy good for global investors
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad trade policy. ISDS, and most everything else in the TPP trade deal, is there because it serves the interests of global investors. Currency manipulation and human rights provisions are not in TPP because ignoring those interests is good for global investors.
Stan Sorscher, From nowtoronto.com
Green persistence paying off
A thank you to Green party leader Elizabeth May for her updates from the Paris climate talks (NOW, December 10-16) and for putting Canada back onto the climate justice agenda. Her hard work and non-partisan coverage helped put a focus on the urgent issues we must all tackle in order to repurpose our climate policy away from the petro-crats who have hijacked our green energy transition.
Big Oil’s political agenda in favour of tar sands resource extraction must be loudly denounced. I believe even members of the NDP, of which I am still a member, appreciate Canadian officials declaring that fossil fuels like those in the tar sands have to stay in the ground if we are to meet our greenhouse gas emission targets and avoid catastrophic climate collapse.
Kudos to the persistence of the Greens and the Liberals for giving voice to millions concerned with the need for a green energy transformation. Keep up the great work.
Davis and Rhonda Costas-Mirza, Toronto
Who’s killing the electric car?
Re #COP21 Talks Move Past The Danger Line, by Elizabeth May. The electric car should be subsidized to a greater extent. Ontario now gives small rebates to purchasers of electric cars.
The province should up the ante and pay half the cost of an electric car. Premier Kathleen Wynne has done the right thing by putting $20 million into more recharging stations. However, only 5,400 electric cars are in use in Ontario.
The federal government should get involved in encouraging electric car production, too.
Jeff Pancer, Toronto
Cops’ behaviour like second-class comedy
Re Carding’s Stacked Deck (NOW, December 10-16). In the context of widespread poor, and even deadly, police behaviour across this city, province, country and continent, the words of Irish playwright and author Brendan Behan come to mind: “I have never seen a situation so dismal that a policeman couldn’t make it worse.”
Humorous, perhaps, but all too true in many cases.
Jim Roche, Toronto
Vietnam song a bit off
Re Chris Hegge’s letter Is Viet Cong Racist Or Political? (NOW, December 10-16). For a decade I have been a member of a Toronto-based deathcountry/urban redneck band named Vietnam Ripper, and I have never heard a single complaint about our name. (Our band has since restructured, and we are changing our name).
The late Ho Chi Minh was a Communist. If he had been a true national hero, he would have brought democracy to Vietnam.
To congratulate this tyrant merely because he murdered fewer people than other Communist dictators is like thanking a crocodile because it bit off only one of your legs.
Paul Cerar, Toronto
NOW makes me feel a little less homesick
I’ve been away from Toronto for 25 years. I miss that great city constantly and do all of my catching up on events in my beloved Toronto with NOW. I miss the grassroots community spirit, the boundless enthusiasm, support for culture and art, the positive energy that is Toronto.
What I don’t miss is your fucking winter. You can keep that. I guess I’m really writing to thank all of your hardworking staff for bringing the events and news of Canada’s world-class city to my doorstep, and it makes me just that little bit less homesick. Know you’re appreciated!
Brian Wakil, Los Angeles
