A delegation of Canadian parliamentarians was to meet recently with Guatemala’s Legislative Committee for Energy and Mines. The President of the Legislative Commission said: “We will have a chance to meet them in the afternoon to discuss various positions on mining, their experience as a country, the topic of royalties. We will also talk about conflicts.”
But, facilitating the visit appears to have been arranged by Canada’s Goldcorp, whose activities in Latin America have drawn numerous criticisms in recent years.
The president of the Legislative Commission has disputed that the company is seeking to change current legislation in its favour, saying: “[A]s a country, we are sovereign and independent and the commission is developing a law in conjunction with the Ministry to favour our country.”
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11885.
Goldcorp is a Canadian company with British investment. Among Goldcorp’s major investors are British-based AXA Investment Managers UK Ltd., Blackrock Commodities Income Trust plc and City Natural High Yield Trust plc.
Canadian Parliamentarians meet with Guatemalan Legislators on Goldcorp’s Ticket
MiningWatch Canada press release, 11 September 2012
Records filed Monday confirm that four Canadian Members of Parliament and one Senator flew on Goldcorp’s tab to visit company operations in Guatemala and meet with legislators in charge of mines at the end of August.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11902.