This text is part of the special section Mines and natural resources
Tools have been put in place to help local communities make their voices heard against mining companies, but the balance of power remains too largely in favor of the industry.
“The social impacts of mines are often put forward as being very positive, but there are negatives despite everything”, explains Geneviève Brisson, scientific director of the Center for Research on Territorial Development, full professor and anthropologist at the environment at the University of Quebec in Rimouski (UQAR). “I do not want to deny these positive effects, which are the game of promoters and the government, and which can have effects on the creation of local jobs, a certain collective wealth or an improvement in infrastructure and land development, for example. However, this does not prevent social inequalities from existing, ”says the one who has been interested in the subject for fifteen years.
The social inequalities she speaks of are legion in the province’s mining industry. “Of course, this point is not often put forward, but those who have access to the best paying jobs are not necessarily those who live in the communities near the mine. These are sometimes people who have been trained and come from different places, elsewhere in Quebec or around the world,” said Ms.me Brisson. It is therefore, most of the time, a small group outside the mine who hold the most prestigious jobs and who own the wealth. “The main economic benefits go to the shareholders and owners of the mine, and not to the community,” notes the specialist. When we look at the proportion, these are shots that the community receives. »
Widening gaps
Moreover, some citizens lack the means to access the wealth and jobs of the mine, either because they are unfit for employment or because they do not meet the aptitude criteria for these jobs. According to Thierry Rodon, professor in the Department of Political Science at Laval University and holder of the Chair on Sustainable Development in the North, Aboriginal communities, although they now know their rights better, are not spared from this reality. “For various reasons, the Innu are generally only hired for seasonal jobs lasting a few months,” notes the expert on Indigenous policies in Canada.
“Together, these elements will create a much bigger gap than it was before,” observes Geneviève Brisson. According to her, local communities then end up with a few much richer inhabitants, who will consume more, demand additional consumer goods and change the form of consumption of the whole community. “At the other end, we have people who were already poor and marginalized. As the masses become richer, they, in turn, are in an increasingly precarious situation. This ever-widening gap would be conducive to conflicts, misunderstandings, even a breakdown of democracy. »
In fact, community groups, a real safety net for the most vulnerable people, have to manage a greater volume of requests without necessarily obtaining more funding. “We shouldn’t generalize, but in Malartic, for example, the municipality no longer wanted to help them when the mine was created, because it gave the city a bad image,” says Geneviève Brisson.
An uncertain context
Since mines always have a known operating life, Aboriginal communities in Quebec have implemented Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs). “The power relationship is a little reversed, but it’s not that simple because with these private agreements, the mining companies allow Aboriginal people to capture part of the sale, offer them job guarantees, subcontracting, environmental, etc. When you look more closely, however, it is very difficult to implement, ”raises Thierry Rodon. The latter recognizes that several mining companies are making efforts, but the fact remains that certain clauses of these IBAs state that the band council must commit to supporting the mine, at all costs. “Royalties can also have destructuring effects, since hoarding is not a habit of nomadic peoples, which can reinforce food insecurity and poverty in indigenous communities,” he adds.
However, Thierry Rodon considers these ERAs to be a “weapon” available to indigenous peoples. “They are increasingly being used by communities, because if they don’t want a mine, there isn’t one. Today, mining companies know very well that if they want to open a mine next to an Aboriginal community and they don’t have an agreement with it, it will end up in court. And a mine that ends up in court is a mine that never opens,” he continues.
The last link in the chain
This is why, according to Geneviève Brisson, the mines are currently trying to show their credentials. “The new mining companies want to be close to the communities and the environment, but in exchange for these virtuous clothes, they do a little what they want. In other words, this means that companies buy themselves an image by creating foundations. “These are not close to the communities as one might think, but rather become great community and environmental philanthropists. That doesn’t mean that we pay attention to the stream that runs nearby… In reality, their ways of doing things remain the same,” warns the professor at UQAR.
For his part, Emmanuel B. Raufflet, Full Professor in the Department of Management at HEC and joint holder of the Quebec Network for Research in the Circular Economy, believes that local populations are seen as the last link in the chain when implementing a mine. “Companies take it for granted that getting the legal license is going to be enough, so they forget about the communities. Spending that communities benefit from is rarely seen as an investment from a business perspective, he says. “Often, the lack of anchoring and knowledge of the needs of the community leads to a lot of misunderstandings and frustrations. There is still a lot of work to be done to develop these relationships,” he says.
Emmanuel B. Raufflet is categorical: “Mining companies are there to extract, make a profit and leave, while the communities are there for good. For Geneviève Brisson, finally, talking only about the positive effects and the mitigation of damage does not work, “because the negative effects will never be mitigated”. According to her, as long as they are not named and the problem is not defined, the solutions struggle to find their place.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.