PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC), representing fifteen tribal nations, petitions the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for relief against Canada. The petition argues that six hard-rock mines in British Columbia—including the Red Chris, Brucejack, and KSM mines—threaten the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk river watersheds. These mines risk releasing toxic heavy metals and experiencing catastrophic tailings-dam failures, which would devastate salmon and eulachon populations essential to the Petitioners' subsistence, health, and cultural identity. The document asserts that Canada has failed its international obligations to prevent transboundary harm and has not obtained the free, prior, and informed consent of the affected Indigenous communities. It further argues that Canadian domestic legal remedies are inadequate for foreign tribes.

• Six hard-rock mining projects in British Columbia pose an imminent threat to the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk river watersheds through the generation of acid mine drainage and the risk of catastrophic tailings-dam failures.
• The Petitioners' cultural and spiritual identities are inextricably linked to subsistence fishing of salmon and eulachon in these transboundary watersheds, which serves as a primary food source and a means of intergenerational knowledge transfer.
• British Columbia has a history of inadequate mining regulation and enforcement, exemplified by the 2014 Mount Polley mine tailings-dam failure which released approximately 254 million cubic meters of toxic slurry.
• Five of the six B.C. Mines utilize a wet tailings-dam design similar to the one that failed at Mount Polley, despite an expert panel recommending that the province transition to safer underground or dry/filtered tailings technology.
• The KSM Mine is projected to produce over three billion metric tons of waste rock, with 71% identified as potentially acid-generating, risking substantial increases in downstream metal concentrations.
• Increased concentrations of metals such as selenium, copper, aluminum, cadmium, and zinc from mining activities can cause population-level declines in salmon and eulachon by disrupting respiration, reproduction, and olfactory functions.
• Canada and British Columbia have failed to consult with or obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of the Southeast Alaska Native communities, despite the Petitioners raising concerns through multiple diplomatic and political channels.
• Canadian domestic legal remedies, including the 2002 and 2018 British Columbia Environmental Assessment Acts and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, are deemed inadequate because they do not extend protections or consultation requirements to Indigenous peoples living outside Canada.
• The petition argues that Canada is responsible for transboundary human rights violations because it exercises effective control over the polluting activities within its territory that affect individuals outside its borders.
• The SEITC requests that the Commission recommend Canada suspend the B.C. Mines' operations until risks to human rights are addressed and a coordinated protection plan for the watersheds is implemented.

APA

Earthjustice (2020). PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/seitc-bc-mines-petition_2020-07-14.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. 2020. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/seitc-bc-mines-petition_2020-07-14.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA |date=14 July 2020 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/seitc-bc-mines-petition_2020-07-14.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2020petition, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{PETITION TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING RELIEF FROM VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDIGENOUS TRANSBOUNDARY COMMISSION RESULTING FROM HARD-ROCK MINING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/seitc-bc-mines-petition_2020-07-14.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }