As Journal readers know, the lands are rich: rich in nutrients for agriculture, rich in forests for construction. They are also rich in minerals used to make weapons. At the end of August, the people around Duhamel resoundingly rejected a U.S.-backed mining plan for the Lac Bélanger area.
While many enjoyed the Shawville Fair, the residents of five municipalities in West Quebec cast their votes in a referendum on whether to allow a graphite mine project to move forward. The mining company is Canadian, headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia. However, the proposal is not entirely Canadian.
The U.S. Department of Defense invested around $11.5 million in Lomiko Metals’ exploration of a graphite deposit in West Quebec. While this amount is relatively modest in
the context of mining, it certainly promises much more should the graphite be of the right quality and quantity, and, currently at issue, should the locals show sufficient support.
But the referendum outcome clearly showed that public opinion was not in favour of the project, as voters overwhelmingly opposed it.
At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal. After all, only a few thousand people voted. Like most Outaouais regions, the area near Duhamel is sparsely populated and land-rich. Like most Pontiac residents, the people who live in these smallcommunities care deeply about their land.
Therefore, when a distant company proposes mining a mineral used to make car batteries and weapons, and this project threatens water quality and local land, it’s no wonder that alarms go off. Keep in mind that when such a mining opportunity arises in some faraway place, Canadians have a proven record of supporting the mining industry. Canada is one of the world’s leaders in mining. In our own backyard, though, the response to Lomiko Metals, the Canadian and Quebec governments, and the Washington-based Department of Defense financiers, was an unequivocal “no”.
The next logical thought here is to wonder why Canadians support mining that isn’t in their own backyard. People of West Quebec: if you say “no mining” here in Outaouais, shouldn’t it also be “no mining” in regions of Latin America, Africa and Canada’s North – all places where Canada mines intensively?
If a small group of under 3,000 people can vote to stop a megaproject of this kind, can’t voters impact other misguided initiatives?
The Lac Bélanger referendum was a wake-up call for those who shrug off personal responsibility in society. The duty to vote, to stay informed about global affairs,and to act against injustice are important aspects of community that the Lomiko Metals referendum in West Quebec has brought to light.
