Rodrigue Turgeon in conversation with Alain Deneault
CRED-NB is co-host of this event. More mines – lithium, copper, nickel, tungsten, etc. – are being pitched as the solution to multiple problems – the economy, national sovereignty and security, and even the climate crisis. Mines are touted as nation-building projects and sources of critical strategic metals essential for national defense while the U.S. Department of War has pumped more than a total $78 million into different mines in Canada, including $15 million for the proposed Sisson tungsten and molybdenum mine, 60 km from Fredericton. Mines are also sources of transition metals needed for electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Hear a critical take on mining as the cure-all solution to various crises of our times. What are the downsides of more mining? Who benefits from mining? Who loses? How can communities push back against proposed mining projects? Are there other solutions to today’s most pressing problems that are worthy of more exploration and support?
When: Thursday, September 24, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM AT
Where: Ted Daigle Auditorium, Edmund Casey Hall, St. Thomas University, 51 Dineen Dr., Fredericton
Rodrigue Turgeon supports many communities affected by mining across the country as the National Program Co-Lead of MiningWatch Canada. A lawyer from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, one of Canada’s most well-known mining regions, Rodrigue understands firsthand the social and environmental impacts of mining. Author of the book Nanikana, he holds a master’s degree in law and life sciences and a graduate degree in common law and transnational law, and is co-spokesperson of the Coalition Québec meilleure mine.
Alain Deneault is a philosopher and author of several books and essays on international finance, globalization, transnational corporations, and corporate tax havens. His books include Imperial Canada Inc.: Legal Haven of Choice for the World’s Mining Industry, Mediocracy: The Politics of the Extreme Centre, and Noir Canada : Pillage, corruption et criminalité en Afrique. He teaches philosophy and environmental ethics at the Shippagan campus of the Université de Moncton on the Acadian Peninsula.
Hosts: Contesting Energy Discourses through Action Research (CEDAR), Sustainability Learning Lab and partners at St. Thomas University, Coalition for Responsible Energy Development (CRED NB), Wolastoq Grand Council, the Stop Sisson Mine Coalition, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Socialist Project Fredericton, Conseil de la paix NB Peace Council, NB Media Co-op and MiningWatch Canada.
For more information, contact Tracy Glynn at tglynn@stu.ca.