Library mail and blood minerals
Filed under: Ideas by Jeremy on Wednesday, 22nd September 2010 at 8:51 amThis Magazine has a list of seven private members’ bills that will hopefully pass before this session of parliament ends. I’m happy to see that a Conservative bill made the list:
5) C-509: An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (library materials)
Libraries are one of the most used public institutions in the country. A lot of us read, a lot of us enjoy reading, and all of us benefit from a literate and knowledgeable society. Having the post office (a government service — for now!) subsidize the mailing costs for libraries (another public service) makes so much sense we can’t believe it hasn’t been done yet. Actually, we can’t believe that mail isn’t free for libraries. But this bill written by Merv Tweed (Conservative) is a good start.
It’s always a good when you can find something to agree on with people you disagree with. It’s a sign that your opposition isn’t entirely based on dogma and also that there are issues where you can stand together even given your strong differences.
There’s another private members’ bill on the list that shouldn’t be forgotten. Bill C-300, a bill aimed at making Canadian mining companies working abroad accountable in terms of respecting human rights and the environment. Here’s the stated purpose of the bill:
The purpose of this Act is to ensure that corporations engaged in mining, oil or gas activities and receiving support from the Government of Canada act in a manner consistent with international environmental best practices and with Canada’s commitments to international human rights standards.
It’s been snaking its way through the Canadian political system now for over a year and a half barely passing its second reading. In case you’re not familiar with the concept of blood minerals–similar to blood diamonds–which the bill aims to curb the use of, here’s an excerpt from Time magazine last year:
The provinces of North and South Kivu in the eastern DRC are filled with mines of cassiterite, wolframite, coltan and gold — minerals needed to manufacture everything from lightbulbs to laptops, from MP3 players to Playstations. Over the past 12 years of armed conflict in the region, control of these valuable natural resources has allegedly become a lucrative way for warring parties to purchase munitions and fund their fighting. The Global Witness report claims to have followed the supply chain of these minerals from warring parties to middlemen to international buyers.By the time metals reach electronics companies, they may have changed hands as many as seven times. This means that without a clear supply history, when a consumer sets her cell phone to vibrate, a function enabled through the mineral wolframite, it is virtually impossible for her to know whether she is using wolframite mined in the eastern DRC, the site of horrific fighting and killing. More than 5 million people have been killed since the conflict began in 1996, some through direct abuse, others through the political and economic chaos that the conflict has created. Armed groups frequently force civilians to mine the minerals, extorting taxes and refusing to pay wages.
Leave a Reply