2010 Pacific Rim CEO testifies before Canadian House of Commons

On 8 June 2010, Pacific Rim CEO, Thomas Shrake, testified before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development regarding proposed Bill C-300, an Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil, or Gas in Developing Countries, and the experiences of Pacific Rim in El Salvador. The purpose of the testimony was to assist the Committee in determining whether to pass this bill, which aimed to ensure accountability on the part of Canadian companies operating abroad. The Committee also heard from Professor Audrey Macklin from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, who spoke in favour of the bill. Mr. Shrake described the mining licencing process undertaken by Pacific Rim and disputed allegations against the company regarding water contamination and alleged connections with violence against anti-mining activists. He attributed what he discribed as misinformation about his company to "bad actors" among the NGO community, particularly the Association of Social Economic Development (ADES) Santa Marta.