Fr Jacques Nzumbu SJ near Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. Photo: Pieter Niemeyer/CJI
OTTAWA – Congolese Jesuit priest Fr Jacques Nzumbu SJ met with some members of Friends of the Holy See, a multi-party caucus in the House of Commons, on October 27 to discuss the green energy transition and the need for due diligence and accountability.
Fr Nzumbu met with Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, Conservative MP Arnold Viersen, and Liberal MP Francesco Sorbara on Parliament Hill as part of Canadian Jesuit International’s (CJI) campaign, Green Justice: Human Rights and Energy Transition. Also in the meeting was CJI Outreach Coordinator Pieter Niemeyer and Fr Peter Bisson SJ of the Jesuits of Canada.
Fr Nzumbu, who is a specialist in conflict minerals and responsible mineral supply chain due diligence, discussed the impact of the transition to green energy technology on poor and marginalized communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The search by multinational mining companies, some of them Canadian, for minerals used to produce batteries needed for electric cars, has resulted in violations of human rights and environmental harm, said Fr Nzumbu.
During the meeting, they discussed the Environmental Social Governance (ESG) system used to evaluate corporate financial interests. Fr Nzumbu reiterated the need to move toward mandatory due diligence and underscored the emphasis by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si on the dignity of the human being as the basis of all action.
On October 28, Fr Nzumbu and Mr Niemeyer met with representatives of Liberal MP Nathan Erskine-Smith’s office and discussed the use of child labour and unsafe working conditions in mining operations in the DRC. They urged his office to support Bill C-262, which will require Canadian companies to exercise due diligence with respect to human and environmental rights throughout their global supply chains.
