Ontario Indigenous advocate says Anglo American turned ‘blind eye’ to De Beers issues

By Lauren Krugel An Indigenous advocate in northern Ontario says his community’s past experience with Anglo American PLC’s diamond-mining subsidiary De Beers does not inspire confidence that a proposed merger between the U.K. company and Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd. would benefit First Nations. Charles Hookimaw, former director of lands and resources for the Attawapiskat First Nation, detailed his concerns in a letter earlier this month to federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, whose department is reviewing whether the $70-billion transaction would be a net positive for Canada. “I observed first-hand that Anglo American consistently failed to ensure that its subsidiary lived up to its social responsibility and to respect the treaty rights of the Kattawapiskak (Attawapiskat) First Nation,” wrote Hookimaw, who now works as a freelance adviser on Indigenous issues. “Despite…

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