Canadian mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This article describes extractive sector companies that are incorporated in Canada and are either currently or previously active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It encompasses mining and petroleum companies, both those carrying out commercial, large-scale extraction operations, and junior exploration and development companies.

When compared against other nations, Canada's mining presence in the D.R. Congo is in a distinct class for a number of reasons, including:

1. Predominant Canadian corporate presence. The business database Datamonitor 360 (formerly MarketLine Business Information Centre) identifies twenty-five international mining companies to be active in the D.R. Congo, and records Canadian-domiciled mining companies as having the highest presence among them, nine in total (African Metals Corporation, Banro Corp., BRC DiamondCore Ltd., El Niño Ventures Inc., First Quantum Minerals Ltd., ICS Copper Systems Ltd., Lundin Mining Corp., as well as Anvil Mining Ltd., misidentified as Australian, and Katanga Mining Ltd, misidentified as British), compared to six for Australia (Austral Africa Resources Ltd., BHP Billiton Group, Green Machine Development Corporation, Lindian Resources Ltd., Mawson West Ltd., Tiger Resources Ltd.), three from South Africa (African Rainbow Minerals, AngloGold Ashanti, Chrometco Ltd.), two in the United Kingdom (Mwana Africa PLC, Randgold Resources Ltd.), two from the United States (Century Aluminum Co., Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.), and one each from China (CIC Mining Resources Ltd., with Japanese Eco Energy Group's African subsidiary, Eco Project Company Ltd.), Morocco (Managem SA), and Switzerland (Xstrata plc). The Congolese operations of larger international companies, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata all report being in the exploration and development phase, while Canada has four companies, Anvil Mining, First Quantum Minerals, Katanga Mining and Lundin Mining all undertaking large-scale commercial extraction for several years or more.
2. Canadian-led management of DRC's state-run mining company. As part of a World Bank programme, from 2005 to 2009, a Canadian lawyer, Paul Fortin, was managing director of the Congolese mining parastatal Gécamines, during which time there was a reduction in its labour force to nine thousand employees, and privatization involving numerous joint ventures with foreign companies, including agreements valued at $9 billion with Chinese investors. Workers protested Fortin's suspension in 2007, and he was reinstated.
3. Canadian dominance in Congolese industrial copper and cobalt production. Garrett and Lintzer reported unpublished growth projections made by the World Bank for Congolese copper and cobalt production during 2008 to 2014. According to these data, Canadian companies First Quantum Minerals, Lundin Mining (in partnership with the US firm Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold) and Katanga Mining will have been responsible for more than two-thirds of total Congolese copper output from 2008-2013, and for more than two-thirds of total Congolese cobalt output from 2008-2014. The only other actors cited were Belgium (George Forrest International S.A. - Kamoto Copper Company SARL) and China (unnamed). While more than eighty percent of Katanga Province's ore processing operations and smelters were reported by the Governor, Moise Katumbi, to be Chinese-owned in 2008, and ninety percent of the product exported to China, the World Bank did not forecast Chinese production volumes to overtake that of individual Canadian-owned and Canadian-joint-owned copper operations until 2013, while Canadian-owned cobalt production is expected to exceed Chinese output until at least the year 2014. In 2009, the tax revenue provided to the government of the D.R. Congo by one Canadian company, First Quantum Minerals, was estimated to represent between one-eighth and one-quarter of all Congolese tax revenues, making it the DRC's largest taxpayer that year, an amount equivalent to the DRC's entire health budget. First Quantum quantified their overall contribution to the DRC economy as equivalent to 3.1% of the country's gross national income for 2009.
4. Controversies and legislation. An alleged violation of human rights involving the deaths of over seventy Congolese civilians was linked to a Canadian company, Anvil Mining, which has led to separate legal trials and investigations in the DRC, Australia and Canada. Two Canadian companies, First Quantum Minerals and Heritage Oil, have had their mining permits revoked by the DRC government since 2009, leading to ongoing international arbitration, legal proceedings, and alleged links to obstruction attempts by the Government of Canada in the negotiation of International Monetary Fund and World Bank debt relief to the DRC in 2010. Since 2005, discussions of Canadian-Congolese mining have figured prominently in the Government of Canada's measures relating to corporate responsibility in overseas extractive sector operations, including the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Development of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) in 2005, the 2006 National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Canadian Extractive Sector in Developing Countries, Private Members' Bill C-300, An Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries, and Private Member's Bill C-571, the Trade in Conflict Minerals Act which specifically mentions the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
5. Direct involvement by a former Canadian head of government. During 1997-1998, a former Canadian prime minister, Joe Clark, was employed by First Quantum Minerals as a political advisor to the DRC's president at the time, Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Clark was quoted by Canadian journalist Madeleine Drohan as saying: "I had very little to do with the mining operations, although I knew I was First Quantum's calling card".

The D.R. Congo is a key destination for Canadian mining investments in Africa. According to Natural Resources Canada, Canadian mining assets in the D.R. Congo rose from Cdn.$321m. in 2001 to $864m. in 2006, and averaged $319m. over that period; these assets in 2006 represented 10.5% of total Canadian mining assets in Africa, and 1.3% of total Canadian mining assets outside of Canada, similar to the shares in 2001. Natural Resources Canada attributed the increase in investment to the return of peace in the DR Congo, and predicted Canadian investments would exceed $3 billion by 2010. There were fewer than ten Canadian-owned mineral properties in what was then Zaire during 1991-1996, while in 2005, Canadian properties in the D.R. Congo had risen to approximately thirty. According to the Canadian Embassy in Kinshasa, in 2007 there were fifteen major Canadian mining companies active in the D.R. Congo, holding 118 mining titles with investments totaling Cdn.$1.4 billion. In 2009, the D.R. Congo placed among the top ten African countries in terms of Canadian mining interests, with over thirty active properties. During 2007 to 2009, the D.R. Congo ranked either first or second-highest in terms of Canadian-owned mining assets in Africa, between Cdn.$2.7bn. and $5.2bn., or an average of 18.9% of total Canada-Africa mining assets.

Minerals

Copper and cobalt

Anvil Mining Ltd. was incorporated in Canada in January 2004 and mined copper and silver commercially at the Dikulushi Mine, Katanga Province from 2002 to 2008. It presently mines copper at Kinsevere, Katanga Province, and is undertaking copper exploration in this region. The Congolese government has published Anvil's 1997 mining convention.

First Quantum Minerals has mined copper at Sakania in Katanga Province and its Lonshi copper mine, also in Katanga, was in production from 2001 to 2008. First Quantum's mining agreement for the Lonshi mine (2000) has been published by the Congolese government. The company's Kolwezi exploitation permit was annuled in 2009, while its Frontier and Lonshi mine operations were shut down by the Congolese government in mid-2010.

Lundin Mining, headquartered in Toronto, holds a joint venture with its operating American partner Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and the Congolese parastatal, Gécamines in Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM). TFM is a copper/cobalt mine in Tenke Fungurume, Katanga Province, which has been in production since 2009. DRC's Ministry of Finance has published a copy of Lundin's 2005 mining agreement. Lundin was previously named South Atlantic Resources (1996–2001) and South Atlantic Ventures (2002–2003).

Katanga Mining Limited has been mining copper and cobalt in Katanga Province since 2007 in collaboration with other companies.

Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX: K), based in Toronto, held in 2004 35% ownership of Kinross Forrest Ltd. Kinross sold 23% of its shares in Kinross Forrest Ltd. in 2005. In June 2006, Kinross exchanged the remaining 11.67% interest for 5.7 million shares in Katanga Mining Ltd. In September 2006, Kinross sold all its interest in Katanga Mining Ltd . Kinross held this minority, non-operating interest in a private company exploring the potential to re-open a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a brief period of time. The mine was never operational during Kinross’ ownership and Kinross no longer has any interests in the DRC since completing the sale of Katanga in 2006.

Vancouver-based El Niño Ventures acquired exploration permits in Katanga Province in 2007 and reports drilling and exploration on them.

ICS Copper Systems Ltd., with offices in Abbotsford, British Columbia, has held two properties in Katanga Province since 2007, Sakania Gold and Bayombwe, and reports intentions to explore for the presence of gold, copper, and cobalt.

Africo Resources Ltd. has since 2004 held copper and cobalt concessions at Kalukundi, Katanga Province and has reported plans to begin mining.

Vancouver's Rubicon Minerals Corporation, which in 2006 held a 40% interest in Africo Resources, reported in 2005 copper exploration results at Kalukundi, Katanga Province.

African Metals Corporation, based in Surrey, British Columbia, has reported exploring for copper and cobalt on its Luisha South and Kalende properties in Katanga Province since 2007.

Privately-held Ivanhoe Nickel & Platinum Ltd. (Ivanplats) has reportedly been prospecting in Kolwezi, Katanga Province since 2006, and in 2009 claimed to have discovered one of the five largest copper deposits ever discovered, at its Kamoa property.

TEAL Exploration & Mining Incorporated undertook copper and cobalt exploration and preliminary copper production at the Lupoto Copper Project in the Kalumines Exploitation Area of Katanga Province from 2007 to 2009. Teal was acquired in 2009 by South Africa's African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Brazilian Vale.

International Barytex Resources Ltd. held shares from 2006 in the Shiture copper/cobalt deposits. It merged with Kobex Minerals Ltd. in 2009 which reports no properties in the DRC.

Tenke Mining Corp., of Vancouver and known previously as Consolidated Eurocan Ventures, from 1996 was part of a joint venture in the Tenke Fungurume Copper/Cobalt Project in southern Katanga Province, with Phelps Dodge Corporation (acquired by Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. in 1997) and Gécamines. Lundin Mining acquired the company in 2007.

Melkior Resources (Ressources Melkior Inc.) held in partnership with Consolidated Trillion Resources Ltd. and Gécamines, from 1999 to 2001, the Kabolela copper-cobalt concession and Kipese gold, palladium and cobalt concession, both in Katanga Province and undertook exploration on them. All its DRC properties were reported to have been sold in 2006. The Congolese government has published a copy of Melkior's agreement with Gécamines.

Adastra Minerals Inc., incorporated in Canada with executive offices in the United Kingdom, and known from 1995 to 2004 as America Mineral Fields Inc., held two joint ventures, the Kolwezi Tailings Project (cobalt and copper) and a zinc-copper mine at Kipushi, both in Katanga Province. It was acquired by First Quantum Minerals in 2006.

Harambee Mining Corp., previously listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange and Canadian Venture Exchange, acquired in 1998 copper and cobalt concessions in Katanga Province, in a joint venture with Swiss-based Sogemin and Gecamines, however, citing the ongoing instability in the DRC, the company wrote off all its mineral property holdings in 2001.

Vancouver-based International Panorama Resource Corp. held copper/cobalt tailings reserves from 1997, in Kakanda and Kambove, Katanga Province, however as of 2002 it reported being unable to develop its treatment plant. Simberi Gold Corporation acquired the Kakanda property in 2005 and that company has since been renamed Greenock Resources.

Gold

Banro Corporation has four gold properties in South Kivu and Maniema provinces. A copy of Banro's 1997 mining convention with the Congolese government has been published.

La Quinta Resource Corporation (Vancouver) reported in 2008 securing gold exploration licenses in Maniema South Kivu Gold belt, however its joint venture with a Congolese company was terminated later the same year.

Moto Goldmines carried out gold exploration in Ituri Province during 2005-2009 , but merged with South Africa's Randgold in 2009.

Kilo Goldmines Ltd. (formerly Kilo Goldmines Inc.) has held since 2006 the Masters, Somituri, Sihu, ERW, and Poko gold properties, Orientale Province, that were previously owned by Moto Goldmines Ltd. It reported writing off the acquisition and exploration costs in 2010.

Starpoint Goldfields Inc. (Vancouver) acquired two gold properties in northeastern D.R. Congo, including South Kivu in 1997, however it reported abandoning exploration in 1999 due to the ongoing conflict in the country.

Consolidated Trillion Resources Ltd. (formerly Trillion Resources Ltd.) of Vancouver reported exploration on its gold properties at Kipese and a joint copper/cobalt venture in Katanga, but abandoning its stakes due to poor exploration results.

Barrick Gold acquired a gold exploration permit in 1996 in the Kilo Moto goldfields of what was the Ituri region of then northeastern Zaire, however exploration work with joint partner AngloGold Ltd. of South Africa was suspended in August 1998 due to civil conflict and the departure of expatriate staff.

The consultancy firm CIC Mining Resources, situated in Vancouver, announced in 2010 that it was providing services to Eco Energy Group of Japan, on its gold exploration concessions in the Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in South Kivu Province.

Diamonds

Toronto-based BRC DiamondCore has reported carrying out diamond exploration in Tshikapa, Kasai-Occidental province, as well as in Équateur and Orientale Provinces. In 2008, Canada's BRC Diamond Corp. merged with Diamond Core Ltd. of South Africa to form the Toronto-based BRC DiamondCore Ltd.

Emaxon Financial International Inc., established in Montreal, Canada in 2001, is a subsidiary of the Israeli-based mining group DGI International, and in 2003 providing financing to Société Minière de Bakwanga ("MIBA"), the state-owned diamond company in the D.R. Congo, with the right to purchase 88% of Miba's output at a 5% price discount.

Vancouver-based Rockwell Diamonds held a joint venture in the Kwango River Project since 2006, whose ownership in 2011 was reported to be under litigation.

Gee-ten Ventures Inc. of Laval, Quebec, announced intention in 2007 to acquire the Kamonia diamond project in Tshikapa region, however no further developments appear to have been reported.

Mano River Resources Inc., which merged with African Aura Mining Inc. in 2009, held diamond exploration assets in partnership with Socerdami/REMEC and BHP Billiton in the north of the D.R. Congo during 2007 and 2008, but terminated the venture in 2009.

Affinor Resources Inc., which was based in Laval, Quebec, held a joint venture in diamond concessions at Ikulu and Semco in Kasai and Oriental provinces in 2007 and 2008, which were written off in 2008.

Canaf Group Inc. (known up to 2006 as CanAfrican Metals and Mining Corp.) held an interest in 2007 and 2008 in New Stone Mining's four diamond concessions in Orientale Province, but reportedly wrote them off in 2008.

SouthernEra Diamonds Inc., incorporated in Canada in 1987 and known as SouthernEra Resources Limited until 2004, undertook diamond exploration in Kasaï Province during 2002 to 2007 . The company was taken over by the British-South African firm Mwana Africa Plc in 2007.

Tantalum (coltan), niobium, tin and tungsten

Privately-owned Shamika Resources, based in Montreal, has reported exploring for tantalum, niobium, tin and tungsten on its properties in South Kivu, Orientale, Maniema, and Katanga provinces since 2007 .

Loncor Resources holds exploration licences in North Kivu, Orientale and Bas-Congo provinces, and reported prospecting in 2010 for gold, platinum and other metals . They report plans to determine pyrochlore (niobium/tantalum) concentrations in their North Kivu properties. In 2011 Banro Corporation and Loncor Resources shared three members of their boards, the CEO, Director, and Executive Vice President.

Petroleum

EnerGulf Resources Inc., based in Vancouver, has held since 2005 an onshore oil exploration license in the Congo Salt Basin in the Lotshi block of the western DRC, and reported preparations for seismic exploration in 2010.

Heritage Oil plc, incorporated in Canada but registered in the Channel Islands, reported holdings of two oil blocks in Ituri Province, including the western half of Lake Albert.

Privately-owned Energem Resources Inc., a petroleum company incorporated in British Columbia with head offices in South Africa, reported holding warehousing and related infrastructure in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in addition to acquiring in 2003 a share of the shallow water offshore Marine XI block belonging to the Republic of the Congo.

Cumulative Canadian mining assets

Tallies compiled by the Government of Canada's Department of Natural Resources (NRCan) of companies' reported acquisition, construction and fabrication costs, including capitalized exploration and development costs, non-controlling interests, but excluding liquid assets, cumulative depreciation and write-off, show that, uncorrected for inflation, Canadian-raised investment capital directed to natural resource extraction in the D.R. Congo rose thirty-fold between 2002 and 2008 while total Canada-to-Africa mining investment grew six-fold.

Canadian mining assets in Africa
Natural Resources Canada (nominal Canadian dollars)

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
DR Congo	$340,227,664	$171,863,056	$160,843,427	$171,346,441	$251,989,321	$937,240,664	$2,662,277,885	$5,178,476,881	$3,343,109,935
Madagascar	$0	$0	$7,889,776	$38,215,063	$72,957,074	$99,622,142	$2,051,021,740	$4,447,179,718	$5,062,606,326
South Africa	$697,169,413	$931,308,617	$1,148,659,629	$1,329,123,401	$1,409,699,871	$1,989,568,297	$3,800,467,332	$2,224,867,650	$3,187,866,683
Tanzania	$730,390,986	$1,008,338,237	$1,461,282,088	$1,426,101,265	$1,384,623,332	$1,337,904,652	$1,475,636,184	$2,285,605,873	$1,910,385,914
Other Africa	$1,111,352,543	$1,332,760,476	$1,578,773,752	$2,079,720,613	$2,922,472,860	$4,158,730,565	$4,786,059,360	$6,748,847,949	$6,564,286,539
TOTAL Africa	$2,879,140,606	$3,444,270,386	$4,357,448,672	$5,044,506,783	$6,041,742,458	$8,523,066,320	$14,775,462,501	$20,884,978,071	$20,068,255,397

The four large-scale Canadian miners, Anvil, First Quantum, Katanga, and Lundin, increased their cumulative assets in the DRC by nearly twelve-hundred-fold over 2001-2009, going from 0.8% of total Canadian-owned assets in that country to 94.4%. In this re-tabulation of the NRCan data, one company, NGEx Resources Inc. together with its wholly-owned subsidiary acquired in 2009, Sanu Resources, was withdrawn because their financial documents report activities in the Republic of Congo (Congo‐Brazzaville) and not in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. NRCan's reported total DRC-related assets, however, have been retained, even though for 2008 and 2009, ownership of some $0.9m. and $1.7m. of assets respectively were unspecified.

Canadian mining assets in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Natural Resources Canada data (nominal Canadian dollars)

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Adastra Minerals	$17,564,604	$7,045,331	$7,916,171	$18,568,665	$32,445,868	$0	$0	$0	$0
Affinor	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$178,783	$0	$0
African Aura (Mano River Resources)	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$80,016	$523,773	$0
African Metals	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,370,615	$1,774,568	$1,389,232
Africo Resources	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$17,591,348	$28,461,968	$16,078,304	$15,555,407
Anvil Mining	$0	$0	$0	$0	$32,804,800	$65,844,090	$264,433,950	$324,398,466	$339,101,997
Banro Corporation	$452,940	$53,429	$508,000	$3,958,000	$15,421,860	$41,303,356	$64,354,182	$130,107,232	$139,258,842
BRC Diamond	$0	$0	$22,481	$41,649	$1,886,995	$7,443,265	$14,188,659	$5,563,253	$5,950,629
CANAF Group	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$252,717	$0	$0
El Nino Ventures	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$247,500	$672,925	$461,866
First Quantum	$2,713,332	$4,353,610	$19,807,784	$22,298,302	$37,527,377	$599,550,575	$637,710,710	$1,104,279,300	$1,099,661,300
Gee-Ten	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$583,542	$0	$0
Greenock Resources (formerly Simberi)	$0	$0	$0	$0	$580,561	$3,317,867	$4,131,202	$5,050,218	$5,131,744
ICS Copper Systems	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$284,640	$243,842	$106,407
International Barytex	$0	$0	$0	$0	$2,324,012	$15,211,601	$22,501,941	$351,864	$0
Ivanhoe Nickel & Platinum Ltd.	$0	$0	$0	$0
Katanga	$0	$0	$0	$0	$2,912,405	$48,961,500	$295,279,902	$1,638,367,280	$0
Kilo Goldmines	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$3,066,971	$6,723,376	$13,045,954
La Quinta Resources	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$371,822	$1,531,477	$0	$0
Loncor	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$5,008,619	$4,692,541
Lundin	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,301,670,810	$1,923,626,460	$1,717,060,740
Ressources Melkior	$205,925	$248,186	$327,634	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0
Rockwell Diamonds	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$5,940,000	$1	$1
Rubicon Minerals (became Africo)	$0	$0	$0	$2,363,369	$4,497,394	$0	$0	$0	$0
Shamika	$0	$0	$0	$0
SouthernEra	$0	$0	$0	$1,051,750	$2,823,440	$9,491,040	$0	$0	$0
Teal Exploration	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$6,846,840	$16,008,300	$14,847,400	$0
Tenke Mining	$319,290,862	$160,140,000	$132,261,357	$123,064,706	$118,764,608	$121,307,360	$0	$0	$0
DR Congo - Total	$340,227,664	$171,863,056	$160,843,427	$171,346,441	$251,989,321	$937,240,664	$2,662,277,885	$5,178,476,881	$3,343,109,935
Africa - Total	$2,879,190,608	$3,444,270,388	$4,357,448,675	$5,044,506,785	$6,041,742,501	$8,523,066,322	$14,775,462,506	$20,884,978,077	$20,068,255,400

Canadian & multilateral public investments

Canada Pension Plan

Canada's state pension plan, the Canada Pension Plan, is administered by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Investments in Canadian and foreign companies that have been active in Congolese mining since 2001 have grown from 0.9% (2006) to 2.4% (2010) of total Canadian and foreign equities, as the following table shows.

	Canada Pension Plan Holdings in Mining Companies Active in D.R. Congo (market value, Cdn.$ millions)
Canadian-based companies	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Anvil Mining	$4	$22	$20	$1	$9
Banro Corp.	$8	$10	$6	$1	$2
Energem Resources	$3	$1	nil	nil	nil
First Quantum Minerals Ltd.	$61	$99	$63	$45	$47
Heritage Oil	nil	$8	nil	nil	nil
Katanga Mining Ltd.	nil	$11	$37	nil	$1
Kinross Gold Corp.	$55	$78	$172	$155	$91
Lundin Mining	$19	$19	$19	$3	$59
Moto Goldmines Ltd.	nil	$6	$7	$3	nil
Rubicon Minerals Corp.	nil	nil	$3	$6	$14
Tenke Mining Corp.	$17	$14	nil	nil	nil
TOTAL CPP CANADIAN COMPANY INVESTMENT IN DR CONGO ($ mill.)	$167	$268	$327	$214	$223
Total CPPIB Canadian Equity Holdings, publicly-traded ($ mill.)	$18,661	$14,392	$16,851	$16,851	$8,669
Congo investments as % of total Canadian Equity Holdings	0.89%	1.86%	1.94%	1.27%	2.57%
Foreign-based companies with operations in DR Congo	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (formerly AngloGold Ltd.)	$0	$0	$0	$11	$24
Anglo American PLC	$68	$142	$142	$64	$116
BHP Billiton Ltd & BHP Billiton PLC	$144	$244	$167	$299	$386
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.	$15	$25	$30	$18	$34
Phelps Dodge Corp. (acquired by Freeport in 2007)	$19	$0	$0	$0	$0
Xstrata PLC	$14	$56	$72	$27	$90
TOTAL CPP FOREIGN COMPANY INVESTMENT IN DR CONGO ($ mill.)	$260	$467	$411	$419	$650
Total CPPIB Foreign Equity Holdings ($ mill.)	$27,209	$35,892	$28,396	$23,484	$28,522
Congo investments as % of total Foreign Equity Holdings	0.96%	1.30%	1.45%	1.78%	2.28%
Total CPPIB Canadian & Foreign Equity Holdings, publicly-traded ($ mill.)	$45,870	$50,284	$45,247	$40,335	$37,191
Congo investments as % of total Canadian & Foreign Publicly-traded Equity Holdings	0.93%	1.46%	1.63%	1.57%	2.35%

Sources

During 2006 to 2010, no investments were reported by the CPPIB into the following Canadian-registered companies with prior or current activities in the DRC: Adastra Minerals Inc., Affinor, African Aura (formerly Mano River Resources), African Metals Corporation, Africo Resources Ltd., America Mineral Fields Inc., BRC DiamondCore (formerly BRC Diamond Corp.), CANAF Group (formerly CanAfrican Metals and Mining Corp.), Consolidated Eurocan Ventures, Consolidated Trillion Resources (formerly Trillion Resources), El Niño Ventures, Emaxon Finance Corp., Energulf Resources Inc., Gee-Ten Ventures Inc., Greenock Resources (formerly Simberi Mining Corp., Simberi Gold Corp.), Harambee Mining Corp., ICS Copper Systems Ltd., International Barytex Resources Ltd., International Panorama Resource Corp., Ivanhoe Nickel & Platinum Ltd. (Ivanplats), Kilo Goldmines, La Quinta Resources Corp., Loncor Resources, Ressources Melkior, Rockwell Diamonds, Shamika Resources, South Atlantic Resources (South Atlantic Ventures), SouthernEra Diamonds (SouthernEra Resources), Starpoint Gold Fields Inc., or Teal Exploration & Mining Inc.

Quebec Pension Plan

The public pensions of Canadians who are residents of the province of Quebec are administered separately by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The following table shows that investments in mining companies active since 2001 in the D.R. Congo, both Canadian and foreign-based, have steadily increased as a percentage of total stocks and bonds from 0.2% (2001) to 0.7% (2009).

Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) Investments in Mining Companies Active in DR Congo (market value, Cdn. $ millions)
Canadian companies	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Adastra Minerals Inc.	nil	nil	nil	nil	$0.5	nil	nil	nil	nil
Africo Resources Ltd.	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	$2.0	nil	nil	nil
Anvil Mining Ltd.	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	$5.3	nil	$0.0
First Quantum Minerals Ltd.	$4.0	$20.9	$65.8	$0.0	$18.9	$18.9	$5.1	$2.0	$5.3
Kinross Gold Corp.	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	$18.5	$64.9	$104.2	$97.7
Lundin Mining Corp.	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil	$0.7	$5.4	$2.1
Rubicon Minerals Corp	nil	$0.2	nil	nil	$0.5	$0.6	nil	nil	nil
SouthernEra Diamonds Inc.	$0.0	$11.6	$1.4	$1.2	$0.0	nil	nil	nil	nil
Teal Exploration & Mining Inc	nil	nil	nil	nil	$0.9	$3.0	nil	nil	nil
TOTAL CANADIAN QPP INVESTMENT IN DR CONGO (Cdn. $ mill.)	$4.0	$32.7	$67.2	$1.2	$20.8	$43.0	$76.0	$111.6	$105.1
Foreign companies	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (formerly AngloGold Ltd.)	$5.4	$9.4	$6.7	$2.3	$6.5	$6.5	$0.6	$6.5	$22.5
Anglo American PLC	$34.8	$30.0	$29.0	$8.6	$30.1	$85.2	$76.7	$18.9	$53.0
BHP Billiton Ltd & BHP Billiton PLC	$34.0	$36.3	$48.0	$41.2	$53.5	$19.9	$129.7	$43.6	$177.1
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.	$3.3	$1.2	$2.8	$1.2	$2.5	$11.0	$15.5	nil	$1.7
Phelps Dodge Corp. (acquired by Freeport in 2007)	$0.1	$0.4	$1.2	$15.8	$12.9	$18.7	nil	nil	nil
Xstrata PLC	nil	$3.0	nil	$8.6	$1.8	$9.3	$17.5	$1.8	$17.6
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
TOTAL CANADIAN & FOREIGN QPP INVESTMENT IN DR CONGO ($ mill.)	$81.6	$113.0	$154.9	$78.9	$127.6	$193.6	$316.0	$182.4	$377.0
Total Quebec Pension Plan Equity Investments ($ mill.)	$43,632.0	$38,555.0	$40,770.0	$45,620.0	$51,727.0	$63,987.0	$72,626.0	$50,905.0	$53,980.0
Total Canadian investments in DRC as % of total Quebec Pension Plan investments in stocks and bonds	0.01%	0.08%	0.16%	0.00%	0.04%	0.07%	0.10%	0.22%	0.19%
Total Canadian & Foreign investments in DRC as % of total Quebec Pension Plan investments in stocks and bonds	0.19%	0.29%	0.38%	0.17%	0.25%	0.30%	0.44%	0.36%	0.70%

Sources

La Caisse did not report investments during this period in any of the other Canadian companies which have had mining operations in the DRC.

Export Development Canada

Export Development Canada (EDC), an agency of the Canadian government, provides finance and insurance to Canadian businesses operating abroad. Kinross Gold Corporation has not reported EDC financing for its Congolese projects, however it has reported EDC loans for mining operations in Russia, and in Brazil. First Quantum has reported EDC financing not in the D.R. Congo, but for its Kansanshi, Zambia project, close to the DRC border.

World Bank

The Canadian federal government is a donor to the World Bank. Among the 45 contracts awarded to Canadian firms by the World Bank from 2004 to mid-2007 for projects in the D.R. Congo, five were classified as falling in the energy and mining sector, totalling US$283,948, including the consultancy project "Restructuration du réseau education de la Gecamines" awarded to the Montreal-based engineering firm Tecsult International, and contracts to Martial Lemire, Secid, and Gemacor International. None of eight World Bank contracts to Canadian firms in 2009 for D.R. Congo-related projects was in the energy and mining sector .

The World Bank's International Finance Corporation provided 7.5% financing to First Quantum Minerals for it to acquire Adastra. The IFC reported commitments of US$3.0m. to First Quantum in 2006 and 2009. IFC also invested $4.0m. in Africo Resources for DRC-related projects in 2008.

In 2005, the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), provided its first loan and investment to a company operating in the D.R. Congo, totaling $13.6m. to Canada's Anvil Mining, in infrastructure support for its open pit copper and silver mine in Dikulushi, as well as for community development for the local community.

Social and environmental aspects

Two Canadian companies holding or previously holding mining concessions in the D.R. Congo placed among an annual listing by Corporate Knights, a magazine related to corporate social responsibility, of fifty top Canadian corporate citizens in 2010: First Quantum placed 27th, and Kinross Gold Corporation 36th. On only one other occasion since these rankings have been compiled in 2001 has this happened, in 2004, when Kinross Gold ranked 31st.

In 2010, Kinross Gold Corp. also appeared among the first list of Canada's fifty most socially responsible corporations that was co-compiled by Jantzi Sustainanalytics and Maclean's magazine.

In 2009, one Canadian mining company, First Quantum Minerals, was estimated to be the D.R. Congo's largest individual source of tax revenue, US$57m. - roughly equal to the entire Congolese health budget - contributing between one-eighth and one-quarter of all forecast tax receipts from the mining sector. Reported Congolese government fiscal receipts from mining ranged between $11.7m. and $26.7m. during 2003-2006, although the World Bank considers these figures to be "poorly organized, incomplete, and of dubious reliability", and estimates that the D.R. Congo should generate $185m. per year from mining taxes during 2008-2012. First Quantum declared payments totaling US$77m. in income taxes to the DRC government in 2009, representing 38% of all taxes paid by the company that year, while its revenues from the DRC, $441m., were 23% of the company total. First Quantum reported contributing US$298m. in 2009 to the DRC economy, or 3.1% of the country's gross national income.

Lundin Mining, together with Tenke Fungurume Mining partner Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc., reported paying US$205m. in taxes to the government of the D.R. Congo during 2006-2009, and contributing US$28m. to social and environmental programming

Emaxon opened in 2006 reportedly the DRC's first diamond cutting and polishing plant, in the city of Kananga.

Both First Quantum Minerals and Lundin Mining Corporation, through its partnership in Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) venture, have constructed ore processing plants in Katanga Province. While First Quantum's Frontier mine had been up to 2008 the largest industrial copper operation, it was expected to be exceeded by TFM as it went into production in 2009 with a process plant and tailings storage facility.

Anvil Mining, since 2008, First Quantum since 2007, Lundin Mining since 2008 and Katanga Mining have all reported adherence to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Of these companies, only Lundin has also reported compliance with the Global Reporting Initiative, while none of the four has stated that their sustainability reports had been audited by third parties.

Shamika Resources employs Patrick Martineau in charge of Environmental and Social Affairs. Martineau completed a Master's degree in 2008 at the University of Montreal at Quebec on the chain of coltan production, from artisanal miner to international refiners.

A survey, commissioned by the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada, and covering 171 reported violations of corporate social responsibility by international mining companies operating in developing countries during 1999-2009, identified the D.R. Congo as having the fifth-highest reported incidence, or 7% of the total violations, and while over 75% of global mining and exploration companies were reported to be based in Canada, they contributed to 33% of the reported violations.

In 2010, researchers at the General Reference Hospital, a referral hospital in Panzi, South Kivu, reported that the highest rates of violent rape self-reported by women patients during 1999 to mid-2006 were coincident with locations where two Canadian mining companies are active; 33.2% of reported cases by rape survivors involving any of gang rape, genital mutilation or intentional sexually-transmitted disease or HIV transmission, were from Walungu, including the Twangiza-Namoya gold belt worked by Banro Corporation and where the FDLR (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda) and FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) are reported to be active, and 31.2% of cases were in Kabare, near one of Shamika Resources' coltan concessions and where the FDLR and other militias are also reported to be active.

The UK-based NGO, RAID (Rights & Accountability in Development), carried out a survey in conjunction with a Congolese NGO, of 140 Chinese and Congolese workers in DRC mines in Katanga Province in 2008 and 2009, which included evaluations of their working conditions. In response to the question "Which companies provide the best working conditions?", only 32 of 140 respondents selected Canadian companies, after the United States (94 "yes") and Europe (70 "yes"), but somewhat ahead of Australian (16), South African (15), Congolese (9) and Chinese firms (7); the researchers concluded that "[c]onditions in South African, Australian and Canadian companies were not rated highly, which should be a cause for concern for the respective governments".

Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin undertook on behalf of Gécamines during 2002-2003 a World Bank-commissioned environmental audit of the impact of copper and cobalt mining at 32 sites in Katanga Province, which concluded that there was rapid, and in some cases irreversible contamination of ecocystems.

Political and legal aspects

Canadian legislation

In 2010, Canadian Member of Parliament Paul Dewar introduced a private member's bill, Bill C-571, known as the "Trade in Conflict Minerals Act", which seeks to ensure that Canadian companies do not purchase minerals from Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania that involved payments to illegal armed groups along the supply chain.

Ecosociété, Banro and Barrick

Following the publishing in 2008 of the book Noir Canada: pillage, corruption et criminalité en Afrique, Barrick and Banro filed defamation lawsuits involving $11m. against the publisher, Éditions Écosociété and the authors, which are pending. The book includes a discussion of the activities in the D.R. Congo of America Mineral Fields, Anvil Mining, Banro Resources, First Quantum Minerals, Kinross and Lundin.

Government of the D.R. Congo's review of mining agreements

DRC's Ministry of Mines undertook a review of fifty-seven mining contracts and six mining conventions during 2007. Anvil Mining's and Katanga Mining's contracts were renegotiated successfully.

First Quantum Minerals' copper and cobalt concessions at Kolwezi, Katanga Province were revoked following a review of agreements by the Congolese government in mid-2009, and the company began arbitration against the Congolese government at the International Court of Arbitration in Paris. Similarly, Heritage Oil reports that its oil holdings were reassigned to two other companies by Presidential decree in 2010, and the company has begun legal action challenging the decision.

In reference to First Quantum Minerals, Congolese Information Minister Lambert Mende accused Canada of disrupting World Bank plans for debt relief for his country in November 2009. Although Canada reportedly abstained from the World Bank vote, debt relief was nevertheless awarded to the DRC. The federal Canadian government's Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying records two current and two inactive lobbying actions, all beginning in 2010, on behalf of First Quantum, made to the Department of Finance Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Office of the Prime Minister (Canada), concerning Canada's policy on debt forgiveness for the DRC.

Lutundula Commission Report

The World Bank-funded Lutundula Commission, a DRC National Assembly group chaired by parliamentarian Christophe Lutundula, investigated mining contracts granted during 1996-2003, and published its findings in 2005. Canadian companies discussed in the report included Anvil Mining (p. 151-156), Banro (p. 190-196), First Quantum (p. 156-162), Lundin (p. 145-150), and Melkior (p. 127-129). Also mentioned were Philip Barrat Kaiser, a Canadian company which held a contract from 1983-1986 with the Zairois government (p. 130), and Vin Mart Canada of Richmond Hill, Ontario (p. 121), which was reported to hold a 10% share in La Société Minière du Katanga Sprl (SOMIKA). The Commission recommended the renegotiation of the period of Anvil Mining's agreement (p. 156) and described as "reprehensible" five actions made by SOMINKI-SAKIMA-SOMICO-BANRO (75% of whose shares were owned by Banro) during 1996 and 1997 (p. 192).

Anvil Mining and Kilwa incident

In 2004, to quell a rebel uprising in the town of Kilwa, nearby Anvil Mining's Dikulushi minesite, the Congolese military requisitioned trucks and a plane from Anvil Mining, and Anvil provided additional logistical support; more than seventy persons were killed in this incident, according to a UN observer mission. Anvil employees including one Canadian were acquitted of responsibility in 2007 by a Congolese military trial, and no appeal trial was held, despite hopes expressed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. An inquiry by the Australian Federal Police begun in 2005 at the request of the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs was terminated in 2007. An audit released in 2006 by the World Bank's Office of the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman identified several deficiencies in MIGA's awarding in 2005 of financing to Anvil. In 2010, a group of Congolese-Canadians filed a class action in a Quebec court against Anvil concerning this incident.

United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts

In 2002, a United Nations Security Council panel of experts explicitly identified five Canadian companies to be "in violation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises"; they were: First Quantum Minerals, Harambee Mining Corp., International Panorama Resources Corp., Melkior Resources, and Tenke Mining Corp . The annex also included four other Canadian companies to whom other countries of origin were attributed: American [sic] Mineral Fields and Kinross Gold Corporation (both USA), Banro Corporation (South Africa), and Lundin Group (Bermuda). The five-member UN panel included one Canadian, Jim Freedman, an anthropologist and conflict resolution consultant. Journalist Madeleine Drohan reported that some of the affected companies had contacted the office of Canada's minister of foreign affairs, Bill Graham, requesting their names to be removed. First Quantum was reported as saying that the bribery allegation made in Panel's report was due to a "misunderstanding" with hired consultants, who were dismissed in 1998.

In 2003, a follow-up United Nations Security Council panel, without any Canadian members, revised the lists according to the degree of resolution achieved by each of the firms and individuals. In Annex I, seven Canadian companies were categorised as "Resolved - No further action required": American [sic] Mineral Fields AMFI, Banro Corporation, First Quantum Minerals, Harambee Mining Corporation, Kinross Gold Corporation, Melkior Resources, and Tenke Mining Corporation; International Panama [sic] Resources Corp appeared in "Category IV - Pending Cases With Governments For Individuals And Companies", to which was added the remark, "No complaint. Enquiry by GoC" [Government of Canada]. While the Panel stated that the resolutions did not invalidate their earlier findings, they did consider those issues to have been worked out to the satisfaction of the Panel and the companies involved (Paragraph 23).

Quotations

• Nicholas Garrett, Freie Universität Berlin & Marie Lintzer, Resource Consulting Services Ltd, UK , on Lundin Mining Corporation's Tenke Fungurume Mining partnership, November 2010: "By the end of 2009, TFM had invested USD 1.7 billion into the mine, process plant, tailing storage facility and other ancillary structures, and the mine went into commercial production in September 2009. While the process is still at an early stage of data gathering and analysis, it appears likely that a range of potential positive impacts on the provincial and national economy can be generated due to TFM investment, construction and operations."
• Fidel Bafilemba, Enough Project, October 2010: "In recent years the establishment of an industrial gold mining operation by the Canadian Banro Corporation in Twangiza, Walungu territory in South Kivu marks the return of industrial mining to the region. Banro was exempted from the [temporary export] mining ban [in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Maniema provinces], and it recently began construction of its plant at the Twangiza site, approximately 50 miles from Bukavu. The track record of industrial mining in Congo leaves much to be desired, with serious questions regarding the equity of mining contracts and the behavior of international mining companies. But in the Kivus there is hope that industrial mining could provide an alternative to armed groups. Mwamikazi Esperance Baharanyi, traditional queen of the Walungu territory, a territory roughly the size of Rwanda, told Enough that Banro 'represents a positive alternative to artisanal mining in eastern Congo.' However, it is too soon to tell whether such efforts will effectively help local communities benefit from their natural resources."
• Ulric Shelwa, for Shamika Resources, September 2010: "World opinion, for the most part, does not presently endorse Shamika’s belief in the potential for positive change in the DRC, but nor did it endorse such a positive outlook at the end of the last decade for some countries in post-communist Europe and in south-east Asia. History, and positive social, political and corporate agents of change, proved it wrong. To that end, Shamika believes the same is possible in the DRC. It has been a leader for the DRC, among the juniors, in mining and social activities."
• Chisholm Pothier, Director of Communications, Department of Finance, Government of Canada, June 2010: "We have repeatedly expressed Canada's serious concerns about the impact of the DRC’s government mismanagement of the country's all-important resource sector during discussions on the DRC in various international forums."
• Peter Whelan, Export Development Canada, Government of Canada, April 2010: "Foreign investment in mining and other sectors of the economy will continue to be constrained by the unpredictable political and regulatory environment as evinced by the review of mining contracts of recent years."
• Louise Arbour, then United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, July 4, 2007, in response to the acquittal of defendents by a Congolese military court over the deaths of 100 citizens in Kilwa, Katanga Province, which was linked to Anvil Mining: "I am concerned at the court's conclusions that the events in Kilwa were the accidental results of fighting, despite the presence at the trial of substantial eye-witness testimony and material evidence pointing to the commission of serious and deliberate human rights violations [...] I am pleased that an appellate instance will have the opportunity to revisit these findings. I urge the appeal court to fully and fairly weigh all the evidence before it reaches the appropriate conclusions that justice and the rights of the victims demand."
• Stratos Inc., for Export Development Canada, June 2007: "One Canadian mining company described the approach it had taken to develop its property. It started consulting neighbouring communities two and a half years before the new mine began to work the concession. A year later, it started to develop community profiles and needs assessments (there are 42 villages on its concession). It also enrolled the support of local leaders to discourage artisanal mining on its property and followed up by offering replacement jobs to artisanal miners in its own operations, in tree-cutting and in agricultural programs. These projects were identified by NGOs and were substantial enough that they absorbed many of the displaced artisanal miners. The company refurbished two primary schools, built a third one and committed to paying teachers for three years. It helped establish 20 micro-enterprises (e.g., in brick-making and fence-building) and encouraged local manufacturing by buying local products. It funded skills-training and drilled water wells. Not confident about how the government would spend royalties once these started flowing, the company has committed to investing 0.3 per cent of revenues to go into a Community Trust Fund which will be jointly administered by the company and the local community [...] Companies face a dilemma because while they do not wish to take on the role of government - and workshop participants agreed that it would be inappropriate for them to do so - they need to participate actively in fighting corruption, improving overall governance and promoting greater equity if they want to ensure political stability and protect their investments. Ultimately, they need to be able to transfer the social responsibilities they assume to a willing and capable govenment if the country's development is to be sustainable."
• Mark Smith, RBC Securities Capital Markets, December 8, 2006: "The Kibara belt on the African rift valley holds over 80% of the world’s columbo-tantalite reserves."
• Madeleine Drohan, Canadian journalist, 2003, on UN Security Council Resolution S/2002/1146: "The president of Kinross Gold, another Canadian firm, assured me that all his company's dealings in the Congo were by any standards appropriate and defensible. He later called the mention of his company on the list 'irresponsible commentary' that would hit its share price. [...] All but thirty-eight names of companies and individuals were dropped from the list of cases requiring urgent international attention. Companies pointed to this outcome as proof of their innocence, but a careful reading of the reasons of the panel indicated this was not necessarily so [...] The report was a blow for groups such as Entraide Missionare which had been hoping for a more robust follow-up."
• Sam Kiley, The Times (London), April 22, 1997: "Mining multinationals have signed billion-dollar deals for mineral rights with Laurent Kabila, Zaire's rebel leader, to get ahead in what is being billed as 'the second scramble for Africa'. [...] This week American [sic] Mineral Fields signed three contracts worth $885 million which would give the mining house access to the vast metal reserves of Shaba province. [...] Unlike the days when President Mobutu farmed Zaire's economy as a personal cash cow, the businessmen said that there was no smell of corruption in meetings with the rebel financial chiefs. Michael McMurrough, chief executive and chairman of American Mineral Fields, said: 'AMF has not paid anyone anything.' Kenneth MacLeod, president of International Panorama Resource Corporation of Vancouver, said: 'We are going to capitalise on the current strife by increasing our presence and our land holdings in the country'."

Books

• Deneault, Alain; Abadie, Delphine; Sacher, William. 2008. Noir Canada: pillage, corruption et criminalité en Afrique, Montréal: Écosociété.
• McCullum, Hugh. 2006. Africa's broken heart: Congo, the land the world forgot Geneva: WCC Publications.
• Drohan, Madeleine. 2003. Making a killing: how and why corporations use armed force to do business, Toronto: Random House Canada.

External links

• "Will Canada do anything about conflict minerals?", transcript of the Globe and Mail live forum with Paul Dewar, MP and others, Last updated Tuesday, Dec. 07, 2010
• Marie Mazalto. 2009. "Chapter 5. Governance, Human Rights and Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo", in: Mining in Africa: Regulation and Development, Bonnie Campbell, ed., Pluto Press
• EDC (Export Development Canada) co-hosts Workshop on Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (June 2007)
• Toby A.A. Heaps. 2006. "Canadian Companies in the Congo and the OECD Guidelines", Corporate Knights Magazine, Issue 16
• Groupe de recherche sur les activités minières en Afrique (GRAMA), L'Université du Québec à Montréal
• Liste d'entreprises congolaises (RDC)

See also

• Foreign relations of Canada
• Mining Companies of Canada
• Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo