SON OF MURDERED MEXICAN COMMUNITY ACTIVIST TO VISIT TORONTO AND OTTAWA

Asks Canadians to support legislation holding Canadian companies accountable for behaviour in other countries

WHO:   Jose Luis Abarca

WHAT:   Support for federal legislation on corporate accountability for mining, oil and gas companies operating outside Canada

WHERE:   Toronto and Ottawa

WHEN:   September 24-30

OTTAWA, Sept. 24 /CNW/ - The son of a Mexican community worker assassinated last November is in Canada (Toronto and Ottawa) from Sept. 24-30 to plead for support for legislation aimed at ensuring greater regulation of Canadian resource extraction companies outside Canada's borders. 

Jose Luis Abarca is a 28-year-old lawyer whose father, Mariano Abarca Robledo, was gunned down after he refused to stop leading protests against the activities of the Canadian mining company, Blackfire Exploration Ltd. 

In the summer before his murder, Mariano Abarca was abducted and held for eight days.  Just days before he was killed, he sought legal protection against two Blackfire employees for threatening to shoot him if he did not stop organizing local farmers protesting the loss of their land and livelihood.

Bill C-300 is a private member's bill put forward by Liberal MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood ON).  If passed it would ensure that extractive companies receiving support from the Government of Canada act in ways consistent with international best practices and with Canada's commitments to international human rights standards.

The final vote on Bill C-300 is expected in late October.

Bill C-354, introduced in the last two parliaments by NDP MP Peter Julian (Burnaby-New Westminster BC), would allow Canadian Federal Courts to hear and decide claims for violations of international law that occur outside Canada. 

Jose-Luis Abarca is available for media interviews on request. He will be in:

Toronto until Sunday, Sept. 26;

Ottawa Monday, Sept. 27, until Wednesday, Sept. 29;

Toronto, Thursday, Sept. 30.

For further information:

Pat Van Horne (United Steelworkers)  613.731.6315; 613.859.1763
Marie-Dominik Langlois (Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability) 613.731.6315, ext. 25