Labour violations, criminal allegations at Canadian-owned mine in Mexico: Steelworkers demand action from Canadian government

A CUSMA Rapid Response Mechanism panel found severe human and labour-rights violations at the Canadian-owned Camino Rojo mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, operated by Orla Mining (now being acquired by Equinox Gold). The United Steelworkers (USW) is urging Canada’s Attorney General to consider criminal charges and pressing Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to escalate the matter to an international panel after an 18-month delay. For markets, the ruling raises legal, operational and reputational risk for Orla/Equinox and could weigh on investor sentiment toward Canadian precious-metals miners and related silver exposure (XAGUSD), particularly if enforcement or remediation disrupts production or prompts fines, litigation or project delays.