Canadian Conquistadors And The Corporate Rape Of Araucania And Patagonia
January 6, 2007
You know, I cut Canadians a lot of slack and for a lot of reasons. Their country is beautiful, they make some good beer, their women are cute and sexy (heck, some are hot), and I trained with some great guys in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry once. They try hard to appear as a happy, friendly people who are enlightened and love everyone (kind of like the French), and they have fostered a reputation for being an all-around swell bunch of people.
Unfortunately, they have problems pulling it off when there are such major and glaringly obvious examples that go to show there is a darker, more sinister side to our northern neighbor. One Canadian company, the Barrick Gold Corporation—for example—is swindling Chileans out of land and mineral rights. An article by Monte Reel appearing on the Washington Post website pointed out what this—as I see them—morally decrepit company is doing.
They buy 20,000 acres from a guy in Chile for $19 through shady practices and try to pass it off as legitimate. And it isn’t the first time they’ve done it. Why don’t we go back to the days of stealing land for a bottle of whiskey and a blanket? I’m sure the board of directors at Barrick would love that.
It’s not just Canadians, to be fair. People everywhere are screwing Chileans like they’re going out of style—especially victimized are the Mapuche people. Both in Chile’s Araucania region and in Argentinian Patagonia, they are having their land stolen, seized outright by the government, and end up evicted from their traditional lands so big name movie stars can buy huge ranches in South America and foreign corporations can strip their lands of resources.
While I originally wrote this to point out the lack of ethics by a Canadian company, I might as well make the point that America, Britain, and many other nations are accountable for supporting a government that still oppresses its people. No matter that Pinochet is gone, there is still a long way to go in Chile. Argentina is just as bad.
Look up the names of Hollywood movie stars that own property in Patagonia—yes, I want you to actually go search yourself. You’ll likely read more on the situation as you discover tidbits along the way. Even the guys who show the movies, like Ted Turner have been buying up all that land that was taken from the indigenous population by force and intimidation.
We like to think we live in a more enlightened era. The reality is, nothing much has changed since Europeans discovered the New World. I wonder if anything ever really will change? History suggests it won’t, and corporations are trying like hell to see that it doesn’t.
I wonder how they would feel if someone took all their land and investments by force?
[Note: While I'm thinking about it, you have to read up on the interesting incident involving a missing truckload of Moosehead beer. It really is a good beer. Strangely, I once saw a bumpersticker that had the funny slogan on it, "I'd rather drink a Moosehead than give a Moosehead" if you can believe it. Yeah. Somebody in the tasting department must have been filling in for someone out sick in the marketing department at the end of a loooong day.]
Entry Filed under: Araucania, Argentina, Business, Chile, Crime, Economics, Entertainment, Environment, Everything Else, Global, Life, News, Patagonia, Politics, Random Thoughts, Social Issues, South America, Thoughts, Travel. .
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1.
Melvin Parisian | January 6, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I’m not sure I agree with some of your opinions . People all through time have been exploited and ripped off. You Americans are not exempt . Enough said.
2.
Sean Wilson | January 6, 2007 at 11:13 pm
That’s the beauty of diversity—we can all disagree and still, occasionally, get along. No, Americans aren’t exempt. In fact, I point that out in the post; and, the ONLY person named—other than the author of the article that inspired my blog on the topic—was a rich American billionaire who could sue me into poverty for taking issue with his character.
I sometimes use an off angle approach to get my point across. I hope you’ll notice I pointed out many of the good things in Canadian society, for example. Most people don’t want to read “(insert your native country here) Is Destroying The Earth” type headlines. However, if they see something about a neighboring country who’s society is not dissimilar, they may stop to take a look and I thereby make my point to one more reader I might not otherwise have been able to reach.
Now, since Canadians are known the whole world over as really, really nice, it only served to make my task so much easier. There is something to be said for sensationalism when trying to grow a blog.
Thanks for stopping by.
3.
Joe | January 7, 2007 at 9:59 am
With regard to Barrick Gold, the case outlined in the Washington Post is unfortunate indeed, but I am confident Barrick will do the right thing in the end, whatever that may be.
I do take issue with your statement that this is a “morally decrepit company”. I’m not sure how much reading you did, but Barrick is frequently recognized as a leader in socially responsible practices and sustainable development around the world. Just this year the Canadian International Development Agency (our version of USAID) gave Barrick the Award for Excellence in Corporate Social and Ethical Responsibility at its International Cooperation Days Conference. The award specifically recognized projects in Latin America. Anyway, there are a lot of bad companies out there in Canada and elsewhere. But truly, Barrick is not one of them and I hope you’ll reconsider your opinion in this case.
4.
Sean Wilson | January 7, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Joe,
You bring up an interesting point. Others have contacted me, saying similar things about Barrick as well. And, I certainly hope they will do the right thing.
I am not really an anti-Canadian or Corporate bashing radical as some seem to think, but rather, when I write about something with the goal of making people aware of a situation, I use many methods to get my point across. One way is shock, another shame, and finger pointing makes people react.
I apologize to the many Canadians who might be offended by my admittedly sensationalistic headline, but of more concern to me is making people everywhere stop and think and act more ethically with regards to the indigenous people of South America—the Mapuche in particular. I have traveled to Canada a few times, and even have a couple Canadian friends. Really like it.
And, I did point out other countries that are at fault as well. I should even point out Israel has helped the Chilean government by supplying them militarily…so blame can be spread far and wide. But, blame is useless. Shaming someone to right a wrong however, has its uses. And so, I hope you are right about Barrick, and I hope they will change their policy and methods.
Corporate responsibility goes beyond simply engaging in good business practices, however. And American and other corporations from all over the world need to be shamed occasionally into doing the right thing if that is what it takes.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. If Barrick does the right thing in this particular case, I will most certainly post anew and laud them for their efforts and acknowledge their choice to do what they should have done in the first place.