Various civil organizations in Mexico have warned that there are dozens of environmental, labor and human rights disputes with Canadian mining companies, contradicting statements made this month by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who mentioned differences with only three companies.

In its January 18 morning conference, AMLO said that of the 125 Canadian mining companies operating in the country, one has fiscal problems, while the state must take responsibility for the insecurity in Guerrero, where two companies expose extortion by organized crime.

AMLO added that the majority of Canadian mining companies help prevent land destruction and take care of the environment and communities, and they are the ones who pay workers the most. However, the statement drew criticism from the Human Rights Node and Let’s Change It Now.

In a column for a local media, Sol Pérez, member of the Cambiémosla Ya collective, pointed out that the Universidad Iberoamericana has documented at least 70 mining conflicts in Mexico, 29 of which correspond to Canadian companies.

The Observatory of Mining Conflicts in Latin America (Ocmal) reports 58 mining conflicts in Mexico, while the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Chile has documented 374 conflict events in 134 mining projects and the University of Barcelona records 149 conflicts environment in Mexico. , of which 32 correspond to mining activity, explained Pérez.

The Mexican Ministry of the Environment recently informed Minera Cuzcatlán of its intention to reassess the environmental impact study which was extended in December 2021 for an additional 12 years at its San José mine. Its parent company, the Canadian Fortuna Silver, said it was taking legal action before this decision.