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Alternative Federal Budget calls for strengthening of Protection Mechanism in Mexico, $100 million for a Civil Peace Service for crisis zones

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: Héctor Hugo Arreola Galván and Elizabeth Guadalupe Mosqueda Rivera from Espacio OSC in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa, September 2025.

Peace Brigades International-Canada coordinator Brent Patterson contributed to the writing of the “Defence chapter” in the recently-published Alternative federal budget 2026-27: Bridge to independence report.

Among the actions recommended in the Defence chapter:

“The AFB will allocate funding for multilateral engagement, diplomacy, peace and stability, including for a Civil Peace Service (CPS) to promote human rights and peace on a long-term basis in crisis zones and conflict regions and to strengthen the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in Mexico to address the threats they face from military and security forces.”

Protection Mechanism in Mexico

Starting on September 20, 2025, Manuel Jabonero Prieto, the advocacy coordinator for the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project, accompanied Héctor Hugo Arreola Galván and Elizabeth Guadalupe Mosqueda Rivera from the Civil Society Space of Organizations (Espacio OSC) in Ottawa to present proposals to strengthen the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.

The PBI-Espacio OSC delegation met with Members of Parliament, Global Affairs Canada officials, and civil society representatives including Stuart Trew, the senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The delegation highlighted Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s recent announcement that Canada would provide $9.9 million in funding for United Nations-led projects in Mexico. They suggested Canada put a similar amount of funding to strengthen the under-funded Protection Mechanism.

Photo: The delegation meets with Liberal Member of Parliament Judy Sgro, the Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade.

The following month, Trew noted in his presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT):

“In light of the new Canada-Mexico Action Plan, I think it would be beneficial to strengthen cooperation with Mexico in areas like human rights as well by supporting the Protection Mechanism for human rights defenders and journalists which is under the jurisdiction of the Mexican government. This benefits Canadian businesses by giving them greater assurances that their Mexican operations are not going to be involved perhaps involuntarily in human rights violations.”

Civil Peace Service

The “Der Zivile Friedensdienst” website explains: “The Civil Peace Service (CPS) is a programme for violence prevention, civil conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Currently, around 380 international peace workers are active in about 45 countries. The Civil Peace Service is funded by the German Government.”

In 1959, Perth, Ontario-based Hans Sinn, who co-founded Peace Brigades International in September 1981, travelled to Germany to speak about his vision for a Ziviler Friedensdienst, a civil peace service (CPS).

Peace Magazine notes: “In the early 1990s, he spoke in Berlin, at the Evangelical Academy in Berlin, which had developed its own proposal for a CPS. By 1999, Ziviler Friedensdienst had become the first fully operational Civilian Peace Service in the world.”

Since its formation, more than 1,200 experts have supported peacebuilding efforts in 60 countries around the world. It is also a significant funder of the human rights work done by Peace Brigades International.

We continue to follow this.

Further reading

–Photo-journal of PBI-Mexico accompanied Espacio OSC advocacy tour in Canada on Protection Mechanism (PBI-Canada, September 26, 2025)

–Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives notes the Protection Mechanism in Mexico at House of Commons committee presentation (PBI-Canada, October 10, 2025)

–PBI-Canada seeks to strengthen the accompaniment of human rights defenders with the European Parliament office in Ottawa (PBI-Canada, September 15, 2026)

–PBI-Canada and PBI-Mexico meet with the Embassy of Canada in Mexico to highlight the need to strengthen the Protection Mechanism (PBI-Canada, February 27, 2026).

PBI-Canada watches the live-feed of the Criminal Sentencing Court verdict in the forcible disappearance of Luz Leticia in Guatemala

By
Brent Patterson
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Video still: The sentencing court in session.

Yesterday the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted on social media: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court has announced that it will deliver its verdict in the #LuzLeticiaYOtros case on Thursday, September 17. #PBI has been accompanying #LuzLeticia’s family for over 10 years.”

This morning, PBI-Guatemala also shared this video on social media of Marta Agustín Hernández, the sister of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín, speaking to those assembled outside the court before the ruling.

She said: “With all my heart, we thank you for your presence. …We appeal to the 8th Court of Criminal Procedure, Narcotics and Environmental Crimes, which enacts a condemnatory sentence of 170 years in prison for Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano for the forced disappearance and crimes against the duties of humanity, as requested by the Ministry of Public Affairs and Relatives.”

University student-activist Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín was forcibly disappeared by state security forces on November 22, 1982, her 25th birthday. She became one of the more than 45,000 people forcibly disappeared between 1960 and 1996 in Guatemala. Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano, the director of a police division who worked closely with the Army in counterinsurgency operations, is accused in her disappearance. Forty-four years after Luz’s disappearance, we ask: where is she?

The live feed of the verdict can be watched here.

Updates…

At 11:40 am ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The court will announce the verdict at 12:00 noon [2 pm ET] for military officer Francisco Fuentes Cano, who is accused of the forced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín.”

Around 12:28 pm ET, Marta Agustín Hernández replied to Prensa Comunitaria when asked “What does this trial mean for you as a family?”

She said: “I think it’s an opportunity to give way to such an indispensable value in terms of the human principle, especially of life, which in reality we lost… It’s an opportunity to give voice to all the atrocities committed in Guatemala that definitely shouldn’t have happened and that will never happen again.”

Valentina added: “[I remember Luz’s] great kindness, her great love for her family, and the desire for all of us to be well. The fundamental human value of her life.”

At 2:55 pm ET, CALDH posted: “Court reads the guilty verdict in the case regarding the enforced disappearance and crimes against humanity committed against Luz Leticia.”

At 3:23 pm ET, Festivales Media reported: “The sentencing hearing is currently underway… The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested a 170-year prison sentence for crimes against the duties of humanity and enforced disappearance.”

At 4:33 pm ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court notes that Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez were detained alongside two other individuals on November 22, 1982, but their whereabouts remain unknown. Given that they were in the custody of security forces, ‘their failure to be produced is not a matter of oversight but a willful act.’ However, the Court determined that the crime against the duties of humanity was not proven; consequently, the accused is acquitted of this charge.”

At 4:37 pm ET, Festivales Media reported: “The court finds that Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano’s actions constitute the enforced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernandez Agustín.”

At 5:12 pm ET, Verdad y Justicia en Guatemala reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court unanimously ruled as follows: SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN PRISON. Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano was found criminally liable as the perpetrator of the crime of enforced disappearance committed against Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez. The Court imposed a sentence of 50 years of non-commutable imprisonment, with credit given for time already served. Additionally, the Court acquitted Cifuentes Cano of the crime against the duties of humanity. The accused will remain in pretrial detention until the judgment becomes final and the court responsible for sentence execution issues the appropriate orders. Furthermore, the Court ordered the Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue the investigation and criminal prosecution regarding other individuals who may have participated in the events.”

At 5:15 pm ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court has scheduled the hearing on reparations for the forced disappearance of students Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez for September 22 at 9:00 a.m., following the conviction of military officer Francisco Fuentes Cano, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison.”

The live-feed this afternoon is here.

Canadian prime minister highlights critical minerals, LNG exports, solidarity and international law in speech to European Parliament

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Strasbourg, France.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the 720-member European Parliament in Strasbourg, France this morning.

You can watch his full speech here.

CETA and SAFE

Prime Minister Carney stated: “We should build on each other’s strengths deliberately, systematically and rapidly. We’ve already begun and I thank this parliament. We’ve already begun with CETA [the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement], one of the world’s most successful trade agreements.”

“And I thank President von der Leyen and President Costa for our strategic partnership agreement struck last June. We’re developing that and deepening it.”

The prime minister further noted: “We’ve also begun to take advantage of Canada’s role as the first non-European member of SAFE [the €150 billion Security Action for Europe low-interest fund to purchase military equipment].”

Associate member of the EU

Carney continued: “Yesterday, President von der Leyen spoke of moving beyond CETA to an alliance for the future. Opening the door to Canada to become the European Union’s first associate member. Canada welcomes this ambition.”

He then stated: “Let me take this opportunity to say plainly what Canada proposes. Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation. In the full range of strategic capabilities. Including critical minerals, defence industrial capacity, AI and compute, energy security, space and payments. We should move towards seamless digital trade and non-agricultural goods and a wide range of services. We should deepen our people to people ties.”

Critical minerals

Carney noted: “Yesterday, President von der Leyen announced, and I quote, a new European corporation on critical raw materials to obtain and stockpile the material needed for electric cars, for chips and batteries, clean tech and defence.”

He then highlighted: “I’ll observe that Canada has deposits of over 34 critical minerals and we are among the top producers of the 10 most essential for the energy transition. Our alliance can help fill Europe’s need for reliable supply, Canada’s desire for advanced processing capabilities and our common objective to complete value chains in the transition and our defence.”

LNG exports

Carney also emphasized: “Canada can contribute LNG and hydrogen at large scale to support Europe’s energy security, including by developing and leveraging new port infrastructure in our high north and on our east coast.”

Solidarity and international law

Carney concluded: “A Canada-EU alliance would create a beacon for other democracies. An alliance not defined by what we oppose but about what we are for. Freedom, solidarity, prosperity, sustainability. …An alliance principled enough that our strength reinforces international law rather than seeks to replace it.”

Analysis                       

Over the coming days, Peace Brigades International-Canada will be analyzing the implications of the Prime Minister’s speech to discern how to strengthen the longstanding PBI presence at the European Parliament in Brussels to advance the holistic protective accompaniment of human rights defenders.

We are also attuned to the implications of major projects related to critical minerals and LNG pipelines and export terminals on the lands and waters of sovereign Indigenous territories within Canada as well as the criminalization that Indigenous land and environmental defenders can experience when they uphold their inherent rights and their right to free, prior and informed consent.

The full speech by the Canadian prime minister to the European Parliament in Strasbourg can be seen here.

Further reading

–PBI-Canada seeks to strengthen the accompaniment of human rights defenders with the European Parliament office in Ottawa (PBI-Canada, September 15, 2026)

–As Canada bolsters economic ties with Europe, PBI calls on EU-backed investment to prevent human rights violations (PBI-Canada, September 10, 2026)

–Peace Brigades International calls on European Council to “oppose increase in the EU defence budget” (PBI-Canada, July 2, 2026)

–PBI-Colombia accompanies the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation at meetings in Brussels with Members of the European Parliament (PBI-Canada, June 30, 2026).

Photo: Ottawa-based Peace Brigades International-Canada coordinator Brent Patterson with a Canadian delegation on CETA outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France and Brussels, Belgium.

PBI-Mexico accompanies the Ejido El Bajío rural community that Mexican army enters without authorization

By
Brent Patterson
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Video still of armoured vehicle in Ejido El Bajío from Ceiba Periodismo.

The Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project has posted on social media: “PBI Mexico acts as an international accompanier to Ejido El Bajío. We support their legitimate efforts to defend their territory and the struggle they have waged for over a decade.”

PBI-Mexico shares the Ceiba Periodismo post on social media that says: “On September 14, 2026, the Mexican army entered the El Bajío ejido in the state of Sonora without the proper authorization. Watch this reel to find out about the incident.”

That reel explains:

“Communal land owners from the El Bajío ejido [area of communal land used for agriculture and rural living] in Sonora are denouncing illegal intrusion by the Army.

On September 14, personnel and soldiers from the 45th Military Zone entered the ejido without an order from a competent authority.

For over a decade, the ejido has been defending its lands against the Penmont mining company (owned by Fresnillo PLC).

According to the complaint filed by the ejido leadership, there were instances of extortion, arbitrary detentions, and home invasions.

A young man from the ejido was beaten in an attempt to force a confession that he was a criminal.

Cameras, cell phones, and hard drives were stolen, and surveillance camps within the Protected Natural Area were destroyed.

They state that this is not the first time the Army has killed livestock and stolen belongings in the ejido.

They are demanding that the President of the Republic put a stop to the Army’s abuses against the communities.”

Human rights violations by the Mexican military

Human Rights Watch has noted: “The military, informally deployed for civilian law enforcement since 2006, has committed widespread human rights violations—including executions, enforced disappearances, and torture—while failing to address skyrocketing levels of violent crime.”

And Amnesty International has previously stated: “There is ample evidence that the deployment of military forces has coincided with an increase in human rights violations and in levels of violence across Mexico. A 2016 government survey found that the armed forces are more likely to abuse detainees than Mexico’s federal, state or municipal police, with 88 percent of people detained by the Navy and 86 percent of those arrested by the Army complaining of torture or other ill-treatment.”

In July 2023, PBI-Mexico participated in an international observation mission that documented abuses against Indigenous territorial defenders opposed to the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus.

The Mission reported: “Among the authorities responsible for the human rights violations identified during the mission are the National Guard, the Navy, the Sedena [the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense], the State Police…”

Educa Oaxaca, that was also part of the Observation Mission, specifies: “From May 1, 2021, to May 1, 2024, a total of 72 attacks were recorded, in which at least 226 various attacks were perpetrated against defenders.”

Accompaniment

Peace Brigades International has provided security and advocacy support to members of the Ejido El Bajío due to the ongoing threats they face.

The Peace Brigades International team in the United Kingdom highlight in their report The Case for Change: Why human rights defenders need a UK law on mandatory due diligence (November 2024): “Minera Penmont operated the Soledad-Dipolos open-pit gold mine located in the territory of the El Bajío Ejido in Mexico, between 2010 and 2013. When mining exploration began on communal lands, local communities began to defend their rights. Agrarian Courts have ruled that Penmont were operating on the land illegally without the community’s permission, ordering Penmont to leave the land and compensate the residents. However, land and environmental defenders calling for accountability have faced a series of reprisals including arbitrary detention, criminalisation, and killings. Minera Penmont is a subsidiary of Fresnillo PLC, a UK-incorporated company listed on the London Stock Exchange.”

Exports to the Mexican military

Over the five-year period of 2018 to 2022, Canada exported at least $19.86 million in military goods to Colombia and Mexico. Government of Canada figures indicate that an additional $7.6 million in military goods were exported from Canada to Mexico in the three-year period of 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The Mexican military is also among the international delegations that attend the annual CANSEC arms show in Ottawa.

The Mexican army armoured vehicle in the Ceiba Periodismo video is not identified, but in March 2026, Defence Blog reported: “Mexico has selected the Canadian-made Roshel Senator MRAP armored vehicle following successful trials conducted by its armed forces and national guard at the end of last year.”

Overall, Amnesty International has documented: “[In 2024] Canada continued to export arms and military equipment to countries despite lack of accountability for past violations and substantial risks that they could be used in serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.”

PBI-Canada continues to monitor and research the intersection between the export of “military goods” and human rights violations.

CADSI video for CANSEC 2023.

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading

PBI-Mexico accompanied Ejido El Bajío stands in solidarity with Ejido Carrizalillo in struggle against Canadian mining company (PBI-Canada, April 20, 2025)

While the PBI-Mexico accompanied Ejido del Baijo seeks justice, Fresnillo plans to expand into Canada in 2026 (PBI-Canada, December 2, 2025).

PBI-Colombia accompanies Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation and ASOMADCA on “territorial reconnaissance activity” to find missing persons in Cartago

By
Brent Patterson
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Image from ASOMADCA.

ASOMADCA has posted on social media:

“MAPPING, MEMORY, AND THE SEARCH ACROSS THE TERRITORY

This morning, ASOMADCA—the Association of Mothers and Women Searchers of Cartago, Valle—participated in a territorial reconnaissance activity in the city of Cartago, alongside the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation and Peace Brigades International (PBI).

The activity focused on traversing, surveying, and documenting potential sites of forensic interest. This work was based on information gathered regarding areas where human remains have been found or where there are significant leads relevant to the search for missing persons.

This exercise in mapping and territorial documentation allows for the organization of available information and the identification of key locations. It contributes to strengthening search efforts, preserving memory, and upholding families’ right to know the truth.

At ASOMADCA, we continue to stand with the mothers who are searching, traversing the territory with dignity, commitment, and hope. Every site documented and every piece of information gathered represents a step forward in the search for our loved ones.

We thank the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation and Peace Brigades International for their support during this important day.

To search is also to love. Not a single step backward.”

Forcible disappearances in Cartago

In May 2025, Infobae reported: “A recent investigation by Cambio magazine revealed that, between 2019 and 2024, Cartago registered 102 disappearances, of which 66 people remain unlocated, according to data from the National Registry System of Missing Persons (Sirdec). Of these victims, 16 were under the age of 18 and 36 were between the ages of 18 and 28. This phenomenon has led some local leaders to describe the situation as a ‘juvenicide’.”

In December 2024, El Espectador reported: “In Cartago there are more than 25 minors missing. Some of them have been found with signs of torture…”

ASOMADCA

ASOMADCA is the Association of Mothers and Women Searchers (from Cartago, Valle).

This is how they describe themselves: “We are out in the field, searching for our missing children and loved ones. Every step, every effort, and every shovelful of earth is born of love, hope, and an unwavering resolve not to give up. As searching mothers, we traverse difficult terrain, turn over the soil, and follow any lead that might bring us closer to the truth. We search because we love them, because their lives matter, and because we deserve to find them. We are not alone. We are mothers and women united by memory, truth, justice, and hope.”

Canal Telecafé also explains in this social media video series: “In Cartago, Valle del Cauca, mothers of missing persons are engaged in a tireless search to find their children and demand answers.”

Threats against searchers

El Espectador has reported: [ASOMADCA brings] together a total of 20 mothers who are also seeking justice for the murder and disappearance of their children. Many of them have had to flee that municipality due to threats and the ineffectiveness of the Prosecutor’s Office to provide answers. Some mothers fear for the safety of their families, as threats are present all the time, as is the increase in the number of missing persons.”

Accompaniment

Peace Brigades International has been accompanying the “Nydia Erika Bautista” Foundation (FNEB) occasionally since 2007 and in full since 2016. FNEB is a group of women searchers fighting for justice and supporting the families of those who have disappeared.

Additional reading: PBI-Colombia welcomes the United Nations recognition of December 19 as International Women Searchers Day (PBI-Canada, September 10, 2026).

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025: Global Witness report

By
Brent Patterson
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The just-released Global Witness Collective power: The struggle for protection for land and environmental defenders report documents that 124 land and environmental defenders were killed around the world in 2025.

In the countries where Peace Brigades International has accompaniment projects, 85 defenders were killed: 39 in Colombia, 12 in Honduras, 12 in The Philippines, 10 in Mexico, 8 in Guatemala, 3 in Nicaragua, and 1 in Indonesia.

Global Witness comments: “Every one of these deaths represents an attempt, in the most brutal fashion, to impose a chilling effect on movements that resist environmental and human right abuses. We remember the families, friends and communities who have been left devastated by each attack.”

Their report also observes: “Weaknesses in state protection mechanisms – specialised tools for defenders under threat – also leave defenders exposed. In 2025, we recorded the killings of two Mexican defenders who were covered by such schemes. We also recorded five killings in Honduras of defenders who were members of a campesino cooperative that had previously been granted protective measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.”

With respect to trends, the report notes: “Land disputes triggered more than half of the killings we documented in 2025, demonstrating how authorities’ failure to resolve competing land claims or demarcate territory paves the way for attacks on defenders and their communities. Extractive projects also continue to drive killings. Mining emerged as the deadliest sector, with 11 related cases in 2025.”

The report concludes with multiple recommendations including:

-“State protection mechanisms should shift from a narrow focus on individual defenders towards collective protection approaches that recognise that in most cases entire communities, organisations and social movements are targeted.”

-“Governments should focus not only on prosecuting material perpetrators but also those who finance, organise or benefit from attacks. Investigative authorities should systematically examine corporate actors, political officials, security forces and organised criminal groups that may be connected to violence against defenders.”

To read the full report, go to: Collective power: The struggle for protection for land and environmental defenders.

Investment summit pitch book includes Sisson tungsten mine that Indigenous land defenders link to weapons production

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: In June 2026, about 120 people gathered at the Nashwaak River to protest the Sisson Mine. Photo by Joan Green. Also see video by CBC News.

CBC News reports: “More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in downtown Toronto yesterday [September 14] to protest against the summit, arguing Canada’s economic future should not be put in the hands of CEOs.”

About 100 large state and institutional investors were invited to the summit, including thirty-three investor groups from the United States, nine from the United Kingdom, eight from France, and one from Norway.

A “pitch book” has been circulated to the investors at the Canada Investment Summit to seek their investment in these major projects.

CBC has also noted this prospectus includes “167 possible investment opportunities” divided into eight areas of investment including “63 in mining and metals” and “19 in advanced manufacturing”.

Minerals and Metals for military production

The “minerals and metals” projects in the “pitch book” include projects with “defence” applications highlighted, such as:

-The Vancouver, BC-based Northcliff Resources – Sisson Tungsten-Molybdenum Project on Wolastoq territory in New Brunswick (US $600 million): “The Sisson Project is a large-scale tungsten and molybdenum development located near Fredericton, New Brunswick. As one of Canada’s most advanced tungsten projects, it is positioned to strengthen North American supply chains for critical minerals while supporting domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity.”

-The Vancouver, BC-based Fireweed Metals – Mactung Tungsten Project located within the traditional territories the Kaska Dena Nation and the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun, as well as the Sahtu Settlement Area in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (capital expenditure figure not available): “A near-term mine development opportunity in Yukon and one of the world’s largest high-grade tungsten deposits. Supported by a U.S. Defense Production Act award, Fireweed is advancing the project through feasibility work and regulatory approvals to support future tungsten supply diversification for North American and European processing markets.”

-The Kerkrade, Netherlands-based Liminal – Becancour Cobalt Facility on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Bécancour, Quebec (US $250 million): “The planned high purity processing facility is based on patented and de-risked flowsheet and mature industrial processing technologies. Phase I production targets 3,300 tonnes annually of alloy-grade cobalt metal for aerospace/defence applications.”

The U.S. Department of War has provided US $15 million to Northcliff for the Sisson project, and US $15.8 million Fireweed Metals Corp. for the Mactung site. The U.S. Department of War has also provided US $20 million to Electra Battery Materials Corporation, a company that in August 2024 was reportedly “contemplating a second cobalt sulfate facility in Bécancour, Quebec.”

Sisson Project

While the Sisson Project description in the Canada Investment Summit pitch book does not explicitly note the military applications of this tungsten mine, the Government of Canada Major Project Office description of it highlights: “Tungsten is essential for a wide range of industries, with both civilian and defense applications, such as cutting tools, steel, military munitions, and protective equipment.”

Indigenous Wolastoqey land defenders have rejected the proposed Sisson mine because of its environmental threat and role in weapons production.

In July 2025, the NB Media Co-op reported: “[The] news [of the mine] has provoked indignation from Indigenous Elders who oppose the project, including Wolastoq Grand Chief Ron Tremblay. The Wolastoqey Grand Council represents a traditional governance structure with a grassroots constituency.”

That article continues: “Tremblay said the Wolastoq Grand Council rejects activities contributing to war and what he called the ‘continuum of genocide’ in places such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. …[Alma Brooks, a Wolastoq Elder also] pointed to Israel’s prolonged and devastating U.S.-backed assault on the Gaza Strip, ‘a genocide that’s happening right under the nose of the world’…”

On September 2, 2026, the Canadian Mining Journal reported: “[Northcliff Resources President and CEO Andrew] Ing said the company is working towards a construction decision in the latter part of 2027 and production in 2030.”

Advanced Manufacturing with military applications

The list of “advanced manufacturing” projects also includes companies that manufacture defence microgrids, ammunition propellant products, and night-vision components used in modern military systems:

-The Montague, PEI-based AKA Energy Systems – AKA Defense Systems (US $105 million): “A proposed expansion of its 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Prince Edward Island will establish a Canadian defence power systems manufacturing and engineering capability, supporting the design, production, integration and testing of naval power and propulsion systems, defence microgrids, battery systems, alternative-fuel technologies and autonomous energy systems.”

-The Saskatoon, SK-based CellCore Technologies – Sovereign Energetics Platform (US $220 million): “This defence manufacturing project will establish Canada’s first domestic source of military-grade nitrocellulose and propellant products, supporting ammunition production for Canadian and allied markets. Phase I will have a 6,000-tonne annual single-base production line.”

-The Woodbridge, ON-based GSCI – Northern Vision (US $150 million): “Project NORTHERN VISION will establish Canada’s first sovereign manufacturing capability for critical night-vision and electro-optic components used in modern military systems.”

While not specifically naming GSCI night-vision and electro-optic components, the Toronto Star reported in April 2024: “Since Jan. 8, applications for permits to allow Canadian companies to ship tens of millions of dollars worth of non-lethal goods and technology [to Israel], such as night vision goggles, have been temporarily put on hold because of the difficulty in establishing whether the material could be used in human rights violations, say senior government officials.”

AKA Energy Systems, CellCore Technologies and GSCI all attended the CANSEC arms show in Ottawa in May 2026.

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading: Wolastoqey land defenders reject the proposed Sisson open-pit tungsten mine and weapons production (PBI-Canada, December 2, 2025).

United Steelworkers union expresses concern about repeated threats against LSOM union members at tire factory in Saltillo, Mexico

By
Brent Patterson
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Image from from the Mexican independent union Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana (the Mexican Workers’ Union League).

La Jornada reports: “The United Steelworkers (USW) union expressed its concern over the alleged threats and acts of violence against representatives of the Mexican Workers’ Union League (LSOM) at the Yokohama tire plant, located in Saltillo, Coahuila, in the midst of the process to define the administration of the Rubber Industry Contract Law.”

“The League, an independent union, recently filed a complaint under the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRMM) of the USMCA, because it denounced the dismissal of four workers, the ‘manipulation’ of the registry and the alleged ‘interference’ of the Japanese company in the union process; warned that, as a result, the aggressions against its delegates by a union organization affiliated with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), headed by Tereso Medina, have intensified.”

The La Jornada article continues: “In light of this situation, the USW urged Mexican labor authorities to ensure that the vote scheduled for September 24 at the plant is conducted freely and fairly.”

El Sol de Mexico further reports: “USW International President Roxanne Brown said, ‘Our union is alarmed by recent reports of threats and violence directed against the Mexican Workers’ Trade Union League.’”

That article reports on several aggressions against the union members:’

– “On September 3, a group of people attacked delegates of the Mexican Workers’ League, workers at the Yokohama Tire company… The protesters came with tarpaulins, photographs and slanderous messages against the union representatives…”

– “These acts were repeated on Friday, September 4 at the end of the only shift at 3 in the afternoon, now with sound equipment, denounced the national political advisor of the League, lawyer Pablo Franco.”

– “On 8 September, League representatives holding legal briefings inside the plant were harassed and threatened by a large group of people who arrived at the plant’s premises in three buses.”

We continue to follow this.

Additional reading

–USW Calls on Mexican Authorities to Ensure Fair Vote at Yokohama Tire (United Steelworkers media release, September 10, 2026)

–IndustriALL condemns dismissal of union representatives at Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mexico (IndustriALL global union, August 10, 2026).

“They’re the thieves”: Indigenous land defender Kanahus Manuel outside Canada Investment Summit gala dinner in Toronto

By
Brent Patterson
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Video still: Secwepemc-Ktunaxa land and water defender Kanahus Manuel speaks at protest near the Canada Investment Summit gala dinner.

CBC News reports: “More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in downtown Toronto yesterday [September 14] to protest against the summit, arguing Canada’s economic future should not be put in the hands of CEOs.”

CBC News video of the massive police presence, including the mounted police unit, to counter that protest can be seen here.

About 100 large state and institutional investors were invited to the summit, including thirty-three investor groups from the United States, nine from the United Kingdom, eight from France, and one from Norway.

Secwepemc-Ktunaxa land and water defender Kanahus Manuel spoke to those assembled on the street blocked by police barricades from getting to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) where a gala dinner was taking place.

Manuel stated: “They’re the land rapers, they’re the thieves, they’re the ones that we’ll continue to fight back against. They’re our enemy, our enemy is there, just a short distance from us, and when they try to come through, we’re going to let them know, get the fuck out of Toronto and get the fuck off Native land.”

Pipeline proposed on Secwepemc territory

On July 2, 2026, the Government of Canada announced it would refer the West Coast pipeline project to the Major Projects Office. It notes: “This pipeline would transport one million barrels per day of oil toward global markets” and “largely follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor”.

The current Trans Mountain pipeline crosses about 518 kilometres of unceded Secwepemc territory in northern British Columbia.

That West Coast Oil Pipeline is listed on page 10 of the prospectus (or “pitch book”) circulated to the investors at the Canada Investment Summit.

In August 2026, CBC News reported: “A group that represents numerous First Nations across British Columbia is calling on Ottawa and Alberta’s government to halt efforts to advance the West Coast pipeline, saying expanding the oil industry will accelerate climate change and disasters.”

UN concerned about the RCMP on Secwepemc lands

In May 2022, CBC News reported: “In a letter dated April 29, [the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination] CERD said the governments of Canada and British Columbia ‘have escalated their use of force, surveillance, and criminalization of land defenders to intimidate, remove and forcibly evict Secwepemc and Wet’suwet’en Nations from their traditional lands…’ The letter goes on to name the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG) and private security forces as the perpetrators.”

Manuel has told Amnesty International Canada: “Violence is perpetuated not just by industry, but also by the Crown and the judicial system. These systems are not protecting Indigenous rights, human rights, or the earth. They are protecting industry by making money for the Government of Canada and bringing more investment into the country. When there are systems that do not care about Indigenous rights and human rights, they are going to try to get rid of us. They are trying to do this by criminalizing Indigenous peoples, by using disinformation and smear campaigns when Indigenous peoples are actually upholding Indigenous and human rights.”

The need for accompaniment

Manuel has previously commented: “I really like what Amnesty International and some of those international organizations do by providing security for Native land defenders in South America. They don’t have that here, but we need to be able to provide it for our own land defenders to be able to have security for women and people, Elders who do want to go out and defend the land, but they don’t have the security needed to do it because violence comes to us. We’re not asking for it, but it’s coming from the police, it’s coming from the Crown, it’s coming from the corporations, their workers, it’s also coming from just regular civilians that are just white supremacists who want to come with their hate.”

Peace Brigades International-Canada has made multiple trips to Wet’suwet’en, Gitxsan and Gitanyow territories in recent years and is now in the process of developing a Turtle Island accompaniment initiative.

For more on that: Annual review: PBI-Canada’s “transformative proposition” of extending PBI’s protective accompaniment into a “Northern” territory (October 29, 2025).

Additional reading

–Secwepemc land defender Kanahus Manuel highlights the need for security for land defenders (PBI-Canada, September 7, 2021)

–PBI-Canada attentive to participatory research consultancy to strengthen decolonial international protection in Colombia (PBI-Canada, September 1, 2026)

–PBI-Canada attentive to the risk of aggressions against Indigenous land and environmental defenders resisting major projects (PBI-Canada, November 28, 2025).

PBI-Canada seeks to strengthen the accompaniment of human rights defenders with the European Parliament office in Ottawa

By
Brent Patterson
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Photo: A Peace Brigades International advocacy delegation visit to the European Parliament in Brussels with accompanied human rights defenders from Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico and Honduras.

The European Parliament has announced it “will open an antenna office in Ottawa to further strengthen parliamentary relations between the European Union and Canada. The Bureau decision comes ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s formal address to the European Parliament on Thursday 17 September.”

The European Parliament adds: “The Ottawa antenna will strengthen the European Parliament’s presence in and engagement with Canada, raise awareness of its work among Canadian audiences and facilitate parliamentary exchanges.”

CBC News additionally explains: “The parliament is a representative body of elected members from the states that make up the EU. The EU already has an embassy in Ottawa, but it’s run by the European Commission which is the executive branch of the bloc and separate from the parliament.”

This week, the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted: “Prime Minister, Mark Carney, will travel to Strasbourg, France, and Liverpool, United Kingdom (UK), from September 15 to September 17, 2026. …[He will] meet with members of the European Parliament to strengthen Canada’s ties with the EU in trade, investment, and security. …In February, Canada became the first non-European country to join the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative – unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in opportunities and market access for Canadian defence industries, businesses, and workers.”

That statement adds: “Canada will build on this momentum when we host the upcoming Canada-EU Summit from October 29 to 30, 2026.”

PBI and the European Parliament

Peace Brigades International, most notably PBI-Guatemala and PBI-Colombia, has advocacy staff in Brussels who regular bring PBI accompanied defenders to meet with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

We note the Committee on Political Affairs, Security and Human Rights composed of 20 members of the European Parliament and 20 from the Latin American component. Their committee discusses “respect for and promotion and defence of human rights, democratic principles and good governance.”

We also highlight the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), a multilateral parliamentary assembly composed of 75 members of the European Parliament and 75 members from the Latin American regional parliaments.

Earlier this month, PBI-Honduras noted that the EU-LAT Network and 39 organizations, including PBI, signed an open letter calling for greater safeguards in EU-backed investments to prevent human rights violations.

The Brussels-based EU-LAT Network speaks at public hearings at the European Parliament and has participated in EuroLat meetings with civil society with the framework of permanent parliamentary committees.

Javier Moreno Sánchez

Javier Moreno Sánchez, a Spanish Member of the European Parliament with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament, is the Chair of the Delegation for relations with Canada.

Moreno Sánchez is also a Substitute member of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat as noted above) and the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community (which includes Colombia and Ecuador).

Strengthening HRD protection

With the news of a European Parliament antenna office in Ottawa, PBI-Canada looks forward to strengthening the holistic protective accompaniment of human rights organizations, defenders and communities in collaboration with PBI projects with advocacy representation in Brussels.

Photo: On June 26, 2026, PBI-Colombia posted on social media about meeting with Verena Mertens, a German Member of the European Parliament representing the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats).

Photo: On March 27, 2026, PBI-Guatemala met with José Cepeda, a Spanish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) affiliated with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, to give him “first-hand insight into the human rights situation in Guatemala and to reinforce Europe’s commitment to those who defend democracy.”

Additional reading

Selected Peace Brigades International-Canada articles about PBI interventions at the European Parliament in recent years:

–PBI-Colombia accompanies the Nydia Erika Bautista Foundation at meetings in Brussels with Members of the European Parliament (June 30, 2026)

–PBI-Guatemala meets with Spanish Member of the European Parliament José Cepeda in Brussels (March 18, 2026)

–PBI-Mexico accompanies People’s Front on advocacy tour highlighting European water and energy companies in Mexico (November 16, 2022)

–PBI-Colombia accompanies CAHUCOPANA on advocacy visit to Brussels, Berlin and Oslo (May 21, 2022)

–European Parliament condemns the killing of human rights defenders and journalists in Mexico (March 12, 2022)

–Guapinol defenders and Berta Cáceres nominated for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize (September 28, 2020)

–Green MEP Tilly Metz calls on President of Honduras to put an end to the criminalization of Guapinol water defenders (September 2, 2020).

–PBI-Honduras notes letter from MEPs calling for release of Guapinol water defenders from prison (April 8, 2020).

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