Lawyers allege Calgary oil company committed human rights abuses

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Human-rights attorneys are requesting an investigation right into a Calgary-based oil and fuel firm, alleging Reconnaissance Power Africa Ltd. has dedicated a number of human rights abuses in Namibia.

Talking Tuesday at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the human rights program on the College of Toronto requested the Canadian Ombudsperson for Accountable Enterprise (CORE) — a third-party workplace accountable for reviewing alleged human rights violations by Canadian corporations — examine Reconnaissance Power Africa (ReconAfrica).

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Following a “fact-finding mission” in Namibia, the attorneys discovered “flagrant disregard for the welfare of locals and the safety and sustainable use of sources within the Okavango area,” mentioned Nabila Khan, analysis affiliate on the College of Toronto school of regulation’s worldwide human rights program.

This system, on behalf of Saving Okavango’s Distinctive Life (SOUL), alleges the area’s solely water supply had been probably contaminated, that ReconAfrica confiscated land from locals and its actions have destroyed a number of native forests whereas conducting seismic surveys.

“Over the course of roughly 4 years, ReconAfrica has broken houses, devastated subsets of crops, destroyed land and probably contaminated the area’s solely supply of water in pursuit of oil,” mentioned Erica Fox, pupil on the College of Toronto school of regulation.

The junior oil firm’s drilling exercise close to the Okavango River has particularly sparked controversy as a result of it flows into the Okavango Delta, an environmentally delicate space famend as a haven for various wildlife together with elephants, hippos, lions and leopards.

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ReconAfrica didn’t reply to a request for remark. The corporate has beforehand defended its operations within the area in prior reporting by different information retailers.

A March investor report by ReconAfrica estimated the world possible has roughly 3.1 billion barrels of potential oil sources, plus one other 970 barrels of unrisked oil sources. (For comparability, the US consumed about 7.3 billion barrels of petroleum in 2022, in line with the U.S. Power Info Administration.)

Group advocating federal authorities to provide CORE better prosecutorial energy

The CORE’s capability to prosecute such circumstances is considerably restricted.

Established in 2019 by the federal authorities, the third-party physique gives advisory opinions to Canadian corporations with abroad operations on their human rights and accountable enterprise insurance policies. These suggestions will usually come following an investigation associated to a grievance.

Corporations, nonetheless, aren’t required to take part in investigations, nor can it impose punitive measures on an organization — it may well solely suggest treatments to each the corporate and authorities, which neither are sure to meet.

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Due to these limitations, the attorneys’ request was partly initiated to lift consciousness of ReconAfrica’s alleged human rights abuses, mentioned Georgina Alonso, program officer for Above Floor, an Ottawa-based human rights and environmental group.

“The rationale that the complainants determined to go forward with this case is as a result of it’s one other software to lift consciousness in regards to the issues and to hopefully push the Canadian authorities to take some form of motion,” Alonso mentioned.

Above Floor has been pushing for the federal authorities to provide CORE better energy to compel witnesses and paperwork, Alonso mentioned.

In March, CORE filed its first-ever closing report following an investigation into Dynasty Gold Company, which discovered Uyghur pressured labour possible was, and presently is, used at its Hatu gold mine within the Xinjiang area of China. Dynasty didn’t present any paperwork and data requested by CORE in its investigation and didn’t reply to CORE’s request for touch upon the ultimate draft report.

mscace@postmedia.com
X: @mattscace67

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