By Catherine Morrison Several Canadian organizations and civil society leaders are calling for a halt to a Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement, which they say will pose a risk to the environment and exacerbate a human rights crisis in the South American country. Negotiations on the trade pact concluded in early 2025 and the proposed deal would see Ecuador remove tariffs effectively on all Canadian goods. But critics say the deal aims to increase Canadian mining investment. Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada Ketty Nivyabandi said in a news release published by MiningWatch Canada that Indigenous women in Ecuador worry it will exacerbate human rights concerns related to mining operations. Amnesty said in 2024 that more than a dozen Canadian mining companies had active operations in Ecuador. It said many were…
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