Carney's firm Brookfield has been accused of breaching Indigenous rights in 4 countries

Brett Forester · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Under Mark Carney's leadership, planetary concern steadfast Brookfield was accused of breaching Indigenous rights oregon harming the situation successful astatine slightest 4 countries, CBC Indigenous has found.

Carney, who is moving for premier curate arsenic Liberal leader, spent much than 4 years arsenic vice seat and past seat astatine Brookfield Asset Management, wherever helium focused connected greenish investing and renewable energy.

During that play from 2020 to 2024, Brookfield businesses faced reports of superior quality rights abuses successful Brazil, Indigenous absorption successful Colombia, a First Nation's $100-million suit successful Ontario and an biology quality successful Maine.

In Ontario, Maine and Colombia, Brookfield-owned hydroelectric dams and 1 upwind workplace allegedly threatened Indigenous rights oregon damaged the environment. In Brazil, planetary NGO Global Witness accused Brookfield and subsidiaries of deforestation and quality rights violations, including the attempted eviction of an Indigenous group and breach of anti-slave labour law in 2021.

While the multinational conglomerate denied immoderate wrongdoing, the disputes person raised questions astir the erstwhile cardinal banker and UN clime enactment envoy's way record.

"I'm not trying to constituent a digit astatine him personally, but the institution of Brookfield, no, is not measuring up to what they could bash and should do, and present we're saying indispensable do, legally," said Toronto lawyer Kate Kempton.

Kempton represents Mississauga First Nation successful a suit against Ontario and Brookfield Renewable. It was filed in 2022 implicit 4 dams connected the Mississagi River on Lake Huron's northbound shore.

It was filed as a past edifice aft "Brookfield unopen the doorway successful our face" erstwhile approached astir a benefits-sharing agreement, said Kempton.

Carney advocates for much economical benefits-sharing agreements and economical reconciliation successful his book, Values, but Mississauga First Nation's main says they didn't acquisition that astatine each from Brookfield Renewable's Canadian firm, Evolugen.

"If anything, we've been ignored," Brent Niganobe told CBC Indigenous last month.

The main said the dams successful question devastated the assemblage by destroying sportfishing sites, flooding territory and displacing people. While that was decades earlier Brookfield bought the dams successful 2002, the First Nation alleges Brookfield benefited from prejudicial regulatory changes successful 2019.

Meanwhile, the dams proceed to impact the land, said Niganobe.

"There's inactive impacts with the fish. There was a spill astatine 1 of them that we didn't find retired astir till later, truthful it continues to make havoc connected the environment."

From Maine to Colombia

In Maine, conservation groups sued Brookfield Renewable successful 2021.

The groups alleged 4 dams connected the Kennebec River were violating American national instrumentality by repeatedly killing Atlantic salmon from an endangered population. The groups withdrew the assertion successful 2023, vowing to absorption connected the relicensing process instead, but they and section Wabanaki nations proceed to advocator for the dams' removal.

Failure to bash truthful volition "jeopardize the aboriginal of our sustenance sportfishing heritage," said Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation and Chief Clarissa Sabattis of the Houlton Band of Maliseet in a March 5 news release. 

More than 4,000 kilometres away in bluish Colombia, the Sogamoso Dam, owned by Brookfield's Colombian concern Isagen, caused important harm to ecosystems and section communities, according to a 2023 collaborative study by immoderate 50 civilian nine groups.

Meanwhile, the Wayuu radical are resisting an Isagen upwind workplace successful La Guajira, Colombia's northernmost peninsula. Nacion Wayuu, a section NGO, accuses Isagen of invading their ancestral territories and advancing the task without consent.

Company has denied allegations

In a statement, the Carney run declined to code the reports directly.

"Mr. Carney near his vocation successful concern and concern to tally for bureau and is focused exclusively connected serving the radical of Canada," wrote Liberal spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh.

"He is profoundly committed to advancing reconciliation and upholding the United Nations Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

Questions astir Brookfield should beryllium sent straight to the firm, she added. 

Brookfield didn't respond to media requests but it has antecedently denied the allegations.

In Ontario, Brookfield is mounting a tribunal defence against Mississauga First Nation, portion the U.S. federal vigor regulator past period recommended the dams successful Maine support operating, provided Brookfield makes changes to let endangered food to walk through. 

In Colombia, Brookfield called the allegation that its dam was damaging the situation and section communities "unfounded." The institution denied the allegations astir Brazil, telling Global Witness it "unequivocally refute[s] the circumstantial allegations of quality rights abuses towards Indigenous tribes."

There are affirmative stories, too.

In Australia, Brookfield Properties released "Reconciliation Action Plans" successful 2022 and 2024. The steadfast reportedly pulled retired of a arguable Australian state task successful 2021, amid section concerns astir harm to culturally important past Indigenous petroglyphs.

Evolugen gave 4.4 hectares of onshore backmost to Michipicoten First Nation successful Ontario successful 2018, aft elders raised concerns it would endanger an important spiritual and healing site, and successful 2012, Brookfield Renewable gave astir 40 hectares of onshore to the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge successful New York state.