To date, ten lawsuits have been filed in Canadian courts containing allegations of environmental or human rights abuse overseas related to the operations of Canadian extractive companies or companies within their corporate group.
In this publication we summarize the first nine of these cases, examining their outcomes and implications, and how they illustrate the challenges inherent in transnational litigation of this nature. The cases are:
- Recherches Internationales Quebec v. Cambior Inc.
- Ramírez v. Copper Mesa Mining Corporation
- Association canadienne contre l’impunité (ACCI) v. Anvil Mining Ltd.
- Choc v. Hudbay, Chub v. Hudbay and Caal v. Hudbay
- García v. Tahoe Resources Inc.
- Araya v. Nevsun Resources Ltd.
- Yaiguaje v. Chevron Corporation
The tenth lawsuit, which is not yet included in our overview, was filed against Barrick Gold in November 2022 by people living near a Barrick mine in Tanzania. The suit claims negligence on Barrick’s part in relation to alleged killings, shootings and torture by police guarding the mine.
Document first published February 17, 2016; updated version published January 12, 2021