Political Science Question

SOME CHANGES ARE NEEDED

Mining Pollution in Northern Quebec: Why You Should Care

Mining contributes only a 1.6% share of Quebec’s GDP, but it is one of the biggest sources of pollution. The mining operations in Northern Quebec are polluting rivers and threatening Indigenous ways of life.

Every Canadian – especially those in Quebec – should be alarmed by the pollution resulting from mining operations because it affects your everyday life. Mining pollution may not directly affect you, but it poses a risk to your health and the community.

Scientific studies confirm what communities have long feared: mining pollution taking place in Northern Quebec is a health risk to the communities living there. According to Yin (2021), some of the mining operations in Northern Quebec expose the communities to high levels of radioactive elements, which negatively affect their health.

Similarly, mining in this region contribute to food contamination because the food sources get polluted. A study by Moriarity, Tsuji, and Liberda (2023) has shown that the indigenous communities living in Northern Quebec often take contaminated food due to uncontrolled mining operations. Traditionally, the indigenous communities in Quebec rely on fish and traditional foods they source from the environment (Robin, 2021). However, due to the mining operation taking place in the region, those foods now contain contaminants.

A good example is the fish that have been contaminated by the Rio Tinto Fer et Titane Inc. mining company. This company discharged waste materials with high nickel concentrations into a lake containing fish. As a result, they destroyed the natural habitat of marine life and polluted the fish that are usually consumed by the indigenous people in Quebec.

Although this company was ordered to pay $2 million in fines because it violated the Fisheries Act and the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations, the fish remained contaminated. Therefore, if you consume fish from Northern Quebec, you should be concerned by such occurrences.

We understand that Northern Quebec has had this problem of pollution since 1847 when the first alluvial gold operations were opened there (Bjørst & Rodon, 2022). As Sengupta (2021) noted, some mining companies usually use chemicals for the extraction and release of untreated waste materials into the environment. Such irresponsible actions lead to pollution that affects the communities living there and extends to all other Canadians.

Besides, mining in Northern Quebec contaminates the water sources, endangering marine life. For instance, Fontaine et al. (2023) draw to our attention the effects of mining on fish in Northern Quebec. They argue that contaminated waste from iron ore mining operations pollutes the lakes in Northern Quebec, endangering marine animals like fish.

Additionally, water sources that provide water for domestic use are also getting polluted in Northern Quebec. For instance, some mining companies release their effluent into rivers Rupert and Broadback that feed into larger watersheds, polluting them. Tests carried out on the water sourced from these rivers have revealed that it contains pollutants coming from mining companies.

We believe that the mining companies, the Canadian government, and the Quebec provincial government know that Northern Quebec is getting polluted. However, they have ignored it because the priority is on corporate interests over the environment (Vanthuyne & Gauthier, 2022). They do not see pollution mitigation as an urgent need or a priority.

From another perspective, the global demand for minerals has increased due to the growing appetite for smartphones and electric vehicles. Since some of the minerals used in making such devices are mined in Northern Quebec, mining operations have accelerated, leading to increased pollution.

Now that you understand that what happens in Quebec’s North does not stay there forever, you should be concerned about the ongoing mining pollution. You now understand that it affects the ecosystems and communities across Canada and beyond. We are the ones who will eventually pay the cost because the mining companies are chasing profits without caring about how their operations will affect us or the environment.

The good thing is that indigenous communities have in the past confronted the mining companies in Quebec over land claims and pollution. For instance, the indigenous people in Quebec opposed the James Bay Lithium mine project because it would contaminate the water and destroy the wetland (Beigi, 2023). The mining project was suspended, which was a win for the people.

If Indigenous communities can stand up to these mining companies and win, so can the rest of us. Canadians must demand accountability from both corporations and the government. Whether through protests, legal pressure, or consumer action, we must act now—because ignoring pollution today means paying the price tomorrow.

References

Beigi, T. M. (2023). The Wheels of Progress: Challenging Quebec’s Sustainable Mobility Plan from an Ecological Economics Perspective (Doctoral dissertation, McGill University (Canada).

Bjørst, L. R., & Rodon, T. (2022). Progress stories and the contested making of minerals in Greenland and Northern Québec. The Extractive Industries and Society, 12, 100941.

Fontaine, A., Martyniuk, M. A. C., Garnier, C., & Couture, P. (2023). Assessing the impacts of mining activities on fish health in Northern Québec. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 80(5), 771-794.

Moriarity, R. J., Tsuji, L. J., & Liberda, E. N. (2023). A probabilistic hazard and risk assessment of exposure to metals and organohalogens associated with a traditional diet in the Indigenous communities of Eeyou Istchee (northern Quebec, Canada). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(6), 14304-14317.

Robin, T., Burnett, K., Parker, B., & Skinner, K. (2021). Safe food, dangerous lands? Traditional foods and indigenous peoples in Canada. Frontiers in Communication, 6, 749944.

Sengupta, M. (2021). Environmental impacts of mining: monitoring, restoration, and control. CRC Press.

Vanthuyne, K., & Gauthier, M. (2022). Mining the land while sustaining Iiyiyiuituwin: Exercising Indigenous sovereignty through collaboration in Eeyou Istchee. Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique, 55(2), 279-299.

Yin, X., Martineau, C., Demers, I., Basiliko, N., & Fenton, N. J. (2021). The potential environmental risks associated with the development of rare earth element production in Canada. Environmental Reviews, 29(3), 354-377.

How do I find a theme and Discuss Issues?

• Every successful op-ed piece or column must have a clearly defined theme and issues to examine.
• Theme: the person, place, issue, incident, or thing that is the primary focus of the column.
• The Issue is usually stated in the first paragraph.
• What’s the big, overarching idea of the column?
• What’s your point?
• Why is your point important?
• The theme may appear early in the piece, or it may appear later when it may also serve as a turning point into a deeper level of argument.

• 4. Theme & Issues Are Clear

  • ✔ Yes.
    • Theme: Mining pollution in Northern Quebec.
    • Issue: The widespread environmental and public health consequences, especially on Indigenous communities—and why all Canadians should care.
  • You introduce the issue in the second paragraph, which is acceptable, though starting even earlier (in paragraph one) could strengthen the hook.

  • • 7. Introduction: Needs a Stronger Hook

      • ❗Partially. Your opening sentence gives a statistic but doesn’t emotionally or visually draw the reader in.(I Prefer IT SHOULD BE STRONG CLAIM or a surprising fact.

    • Openings – What is their importance?
      • The first line of an op-ed is crucial. The opening “hook” may grab the reader’s attention with a strong claim, a surprising fact, that entices the reader into reading more. The opening also briefly lays the foundation for your argument.

    • Conclusion: Strong, but Could Be Sharper

      • ✔ You end with a call to action, which is great.
      • ❗However, you could briefly suggest specific actions:
        • Call for policy changes?
        • Support Indigenous-led environmental campaigns?
        • Avoid products tied to irresponsible mining?
      • And guidelines and you have to answer to this i am proving the grading rubrics everything write in own words and do not use AI AND CHATGPT AS MAM HAS THE SOFTAWARE TO DETECT.EACH AND EVERY LINE and each and every single word.
      • AND MOST IMPORTANT I PREFER USE THIS METHOD FOR REFERNCEING INETTX CITAITON
      • How do I Cite my References?
        • This is not a formal academic paper, such as an essay which requires you to both cite information when you use it [Such as an intext citation or a footnote] and provide the source in a bibliography.
        • Rather, if you are using information from a source in your op-ed you can simply cite the author's name in the sentence or in paratheses and then just provide the full reference in a bibliography at the end.
        • This type of writing is conversational and persuasive in style, so it is critical to ensure that there is a succinctness and flow. So, bogging down your writing with excessive sourcing may prevent you from doing that.
        • Here is a working example of an actual sentence from an op-ed I wrote.
          • ***IF THIS APPROACH MAKES YOU SQUEAMISH AND MAKES YOU THINK YOU WILL FLUNK A TURNITIN SCORE, YOU CAN WRITE THE SAME SENTENCE LIKE THIS.
            • “One of the key drawbacks on climate change regulation that Ostrom (2006) draws to our attention is the issue of risk.
            • PLEASE NOTE, I ONLY REFERRED TO THE AUTHOR'S NAME AND YEAR IN MY SENTENCE.
              IN MY BIBLIOGRAPHY I PROVIDED THE FULL CITATION.