This report documents the Canadian government’s political support for Goldcorp’s Marlin Mine in relation to proceedings initiated by Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala before an international human rights body. It documents and analyzes the actions of officials from the then named Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and the Canadian Embassy to Guatemala in response to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)’s precautionary measures requesting that the Government of Guatemala suspend the Marlin Mine. Federal ATI records reveal that Canada undertook a multifaceted strategy to influence the IACHR proceedings in favour of Goldcorp and to counteract the suspension measure recommended to protect Indigenous communities from the harms alleged.
By Charis Kamphuis and Charlotte Connolly