On this week’s episode of Talking Radical Radio, Beth Dollaga talks about the work of the Mining Justice Alliance, a Vancouver-based coalition with a global analysis that works to oppose the harms caused by Canadian extractive industries.
When it comes to mining and other forms of resource extraction, Canada is something of a superpower. While our current government goes to great lengths to emphasize (some would say “exaggerate”) the economic importance of such activities, residents of many frontline communities point out the accompanying horrendous damage to the environment and health and, often, violations of the rights of Indigenous peoples — not only here in Canada, but by companies based here that are at work in every corner of the earth.
The Mining Justice Alliance is a coalition of groups and individuals committed to working against the many injustices fostered by the mining industry, with an understanding of the causes and impacts of those injustices that is resolutely global. They prioritize the perspectives and social justice concerns of frontline affected communities, particularly indigenous communities; seeing the connections between abuses in the Global South and institutions, laws, and practices found in Canada; and working to challenge the devastating impacts that so often produced by the mining industry. We spoke about the group, the broader political context, and the struggle against what they describe as “endemic injustice within Canada’s state-supported mining industry.”
To learn more about the Mining Justice Alliance, click here.
Talking Radical Radio brings you grassroots voices from across Canada. We give you the chance to hear many different people that are facing many different struggles talk about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it, in the belief that such listening is a crucial step in strengthening all of our efforts to change the world. To learn more about the show in general, visit its website here. You can learn about suggesting topics for future shows here.
Talking Radical Radio is brought to you by Scott Neigh, a writer, media producer, and activist based in Sudbury, Ontario, and the author of two books examining Canadian history through the stories of activists.
