Above Ground

Canada’s human rights blackbox: Lives in limbo at office of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise For over a year, the office of the ombudsperson for responsible enterprise has been vacant, leaving complainants and communities in the dark.

Canada has left the position of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise vacant since May 2025, and has failed to give the office long-promised teeth.

This important new report from Lital Khaikin @rabble.ca looks at the harm caused by Canada's failure to act.

rabble.ca/politics/can...

Canada’s human rights blackbox: Lives in limbo at office of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise For over a year, the office of the ombudsperson for responsible enterprise has been vacant, leaving complainants and communities in the dark.

rabble.ca/politics/can...

"An EDC spokesperson told The Globe and Mail in 2018 that the agency was reviewing the Transnet loan, but it did not disclose the fate of the loan until now."

Above Ground wrote about the situation in 2018 here: aboveground.ngo/bombardier-g...

Le CQDE co-initie la demande de retrait des pouvoirs d'exemption antidémocratiques du projet de loi C-15 | CQDE Restez informés avec nos dernières nouvelles : éclairages juridiques sur les grands enjeux environnementaux, communiqués et actions de mobilisation.

Le gouvernement fédéral propose d’accorder à ces ministres le pouvoir d’exempter les entreprises des lois canadiennes.

Le RCRCE se joint à plus de 100 organisations et expert·es pour exhorter les député·es à retirer ces pouvoirs d’exemption dangereux et antidémocratiques.

cqde.org/news/cqde-re...

Flash Action | C-15: Fewer rules for them. Greater risks for us. | CQDE Restez informés avec nos dernières nouvelles : éclairages juridiques sur les grands enjeux environnementaux, communiqués et actions de mobilisation.

See @cqde.bsky.social 's letter writing tool regarding bill C-15 cqde.org/en/news/flas...

"[...] the federal government is designing a potentially boundless desert where any person, company, or individual, private or public, of any size, in any industry, in any sector, could seek authorization to bypass federal laws in the name of “competitiveness” or “economic growth.”

"[T]he government is giving itself the sweeping power to sideline almost all federal laws and regulations, including the Canada Labour Code, our two federal privacy laws, the Hazardous Products Act and the Explosives Act," writes
@genevievepaul.bsky.social and Anaïs Bussières McNicoll.

Bill C-15 is one of the biggest threats yet to Canada’s rule of law The omnibus budget bill gives unprecedented power to federal ministers to exempt virtually any entity from all federal laws and regulation—except the Criminal Code.

Read our open letter on C-15 « The omnibus budget bill gives unprecedented power to federal ministers to exempt virtually any entity from all federal laws and regulations—except the Criminal Code. »

#polcan #C15

www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/0...

Opinion: Why are Canadian arms fuelling foreign conflicts? Ottawa must close a loophole in the Arms Trade Treaty that is allowing Canada’s defence exports to be used in abusive ways

"Canada’s current arms-export system contains a loophole so large that it undermines the very values we claim to uphold", note Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock.

"Unmonitored arms flows have fuelled some of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises."

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses

"'We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,' according to the document from Meta’s Reality Labs".
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

Action éclair | C-15 : Moins de règles pour eux. Plus de risques pour nous. | CQDE Restez informés avec nos dernières nouvelles : éclairages juridiques sur les grands enjeux environnementaux, communiqués et actions de mobilisation.

Et si le gouvernement pouvait décider quand la loi s’applique… et à qui?

Vous trouvez cela inquiétant? Nous vous proposons d’écrire au gouvernement, ainsi qu'à votre député-e fédéral-e pour exiger le retrait immédiat des dispositions problématiques du projet de loi C-15.

#C15 #polcan

More than a dozen Canadian companies – including Thomson Reuters – have done business with ICE, Star analysis reveals Such contracts have become controversial as concerns mount that products or services sold to ICE could be used by the agency in activities that may violate human rights.

“Karen Hamilton, director of the human rights watchdog Above Ground, said Canadian companies should cease doing business with ICE, which she said has displayed ‘obvious signs of human rights abuses.’ ” @thestar.com www.thestar.com/business/mor...

More than a dozen Canadian companies – including Thomson Reuters – have done business with ICE, Star analysis reveals Such contracts have become controversial as concerns mount that products or services sold to ICE could be used by the agency in activities that may violate human rights.

Over a dozen Canadian companies have done business with ICE amid ongoing reports of serious human rights abuse, reports @thestar.com's Estella Ren.

Gaps in Canadian law enable abuses like this and make it very difficult to hold our companies accountable.

www.thestar.com/business/mor...

Civil society sounds alarm on Canada’s potential trade deal with U.A.E over links to Sudan war Sixteen civil society organizations—including Inter Pares—and 47 individuals submitted an open letter to the Government of Canada this week, as part of Canada’s public consultation on a potential free...

As a precondition to ANY free trade agreement with the U.A.E., Canada must insist that the country withdraw all material or diplomatic support to the RSF, a paramilitary group that stands accused of genocide and war crimes in Sudan.

Read our open letter: interpares.short.gy/uae-sudan-war

Tomorrow! Note that Nicole Uher, deputy director, will replace Andrew Ghattas from the Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence.

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

C'est demain ! Veuillez noter que Nicole Uher, directrice adjointe, remplacera Andrew Ghattas du Centre d'excellence sur les minéraux critiques.

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Comment GardaWorld est devenue un partenaire majeur de Trump La firme québécoise a obtenu des contrats pour détenir des migrants aux États-Unis, a découvert Radio-Canada.

« L'argent qui a été investi dans GardaWorld vient des taxes des Québécois, reprend Karen Hamilton [directrice de Above Ground]. Est-ce qu’on veut investir cet argent dans des entreprises liées à des violations de droits humains ? » ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/222...

This is deeply concerning.

Vancouver social-media company Hootsuite looking to work with ICE to ‘build trust’ Company has secured a project with ICE that involves ‘social listening’ after cancelling a contract in 2020 over employee backlash

"Hootsuite has discussed monitoring conversations and sentiment on social media related to the agencies, including talk of ICE enforcement actions in specific cities and public perception of the CBP commissioner..."
@cnca-rcrce.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Notre prochain webinaire intitulé « L'approche du Canada en matière de minéraux critiques à l'échelle nationale et internationale » aura lieu le mardi 27 janvier à 10 h, heure de l'Est !

Inscrivez-vous ici 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Our next webinar "Canada’s approach to critical minerals at home and abroad" is coming up on Tuesday January 27 at 10 AM ET!

Register here 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

@miningwatch.bsky.social @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social

'We're protectors:' Indigenous groups call for mining safeguards Speakers share global perspectives on Indigenous rights in the mining industry

Thanks to Northern Ontario Business for covering our event with @miningwatch.bsky.social featuring Indigenous leaders speaking to the urgent need to protect the land, waters, and Indigenous ways of life amid the global critical minerals rush.

A recording will be on our website later this week.

L’odeur de l’argent chinois CHRONIQUE / Comme le cœur, la caisse enregistreuse a parfois ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point. Mark Carney se trouve en Chine cette semaine pour réhabiliter un régime que le Canada conspuait...

« Nous savons qu’il y a des violations en Chine et qu’il y a des produits importés au Canada qui proviennent de travail forcé. Alors, sans les garde-fous appropriés, il y aura un virage dans nos engagements envers les droits humain », dit Above Ground. tinyurl.com/y4z5zrt2

Lutte contre le travail forcé | Tirer profit de l’esclavage ? Bof ! Si acheter, c’est voter, pour quoi vote-t-on lorsqu’on achète des produits de la Chine ou d’autres pays ayant recours au travail forcé ou au travail des enfants ?

« Il ne suffit évidemment pas d’exiger des entreprises qu’elles nous disent : En passant, il se peut que votre chandail ait été fabriqué par un esclave. »

Chronique de @rimaelkouri.bsky.social @lapresse.ca

www.lapresse.ca/actualites/c...

Lutte contre le travail forcé | Tirer profit de l’esclavage ? Bof ! Si acheter, c’est voter, pour quoi vote-t-on lorsqu’on achète des produits de la Chine ou d’autres pays ayant recours au travail forcé ou au travail des enfants ?

« Pour prendre le problème à bras-le-corps ... il ne suffit évidemment pas d’exiger des entreprises qu’elles nous disent : En passant, il se peut que votre chandail ait été fabriqué par un esclave. » @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social www.lapresse.ca/actualites/c...

We are excited to hear and learn from the speakers in our webinar "Indigenous perspectives on the global critical minerals rush" on Tuesday January 13 at 10 AM ET!

Registration 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Únase a nosotros en nuestro próximo seminario web «Perspectivas indígenas sobre la fiebre mundial por los minerales críticos» el martes 13 de enero a las 10:00 a. m. (hora del este). Se ofrecerá interpretación en español, francés e inglés.

Inscripción 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Nous avons hâte d'écouter et d'apprendre des panélistes de notre webinaire « Perspectives autochtones sur la ruée mondiale vers les minéraux critiques », qui aura lieu le mardi 13 janvier à 10 h (heure de l'Est) !

Inscription 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Únase a nosotros en nuestro próximo seminario web «Perspectivas indígenas sobre la fiebre mundial por los minerales críticos» el martes 13 de enero a las 10:00 a. m. (hora del este). Se ofrecerá interpretación en español, francés e inglés.

Inscripción 👉 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...