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Écosociété defamation lawsuit
Status: In Progress
Lawyers from the uOttawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic are defending a Quebec publisher and three authors from a defamation lawsuit launched in Ontario
In October 2008, lawyers from the uOttawa-Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic were in Ontario Superior Court defending a Quebec publisher and three authors from a defamation lawsuit launched in Ontario.
The authors and Écosociété, a small Quebec publisher, published a French-language book entitled "Noir Canada" in April 2008. The book examines the evidence of complicity of Canadian mining companies in human rights abuses committed in various African countries, and calls for an independent public inquiry into the issue.
Écosociété was subsequently hit by two defamation actions from mining companies, one launched in Quebec by Barrick Gold and one in Ontario by Banro Corporation, a Canadian-based company with mining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ecojustice lawyers were in court arguing that Banro's lawsuit does not belong in Ontario Courts, since Noir Canada was written in French, by francophones, and targeted at Quebecers.
Ecojustice is also collaborating with pro bono counsel in the Quebec lawsuit brought by Barrick Gold.
Staff:
Linda McCaffrey, Director, uOttawa-Ecojustice Law Clinic
Will Amos, Staff Lawyer, uOttawa-Ecojustice Law Clinic
October 2008
