Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi on Sunday unveiled the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP), but it failed to win the support of Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Sohi described the plan as a “generational initiative”, which would raise Canadians' awareness of the importance of the minerals and metals sector, respond to challenges and help position Canada to play a pivotal role in supplying minerals and metals to power a cleaner global economy.
The plan focuses on six strategic areas, including promoting economic development and competitiveness, advancing participation of indigenous people by increasing economic opportunities, protecting the natural environment by promoting development of low carbon footprint mines and managing the legacy of past activities, supporting advances in science and technology, supporting communities and drive increased global leadership for Canada .
The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) welcomed the CMMP and noted that it proposed a number of initiatives, including strategic investments in infrastructure and supporting financing and taxation systems that support exploration, while promoting more agile and efficiency regulatory systems, and investing in indigenous training initiatives and mining innovation.
"While Canada has long benefited from a prosperous minerals and metals industry, we are not immune to global competitive forces, and cannot take the benefits and opportunities that mining offers Canadians for granted," said MAC president and CEO Pierre Gratton.
All Canada’s Mines Ministers, except Greg Rickford of Ontario and Bronwyn Eyre of Saskatchewan, endorsed the CMMP.
Rickford and Eyre said in a joint statement that, while Ontario and Saskatchewan agreed with some of the elements covered in the CMMP, they believed the plan needed to specifically address economic and competitiveness challenges and send a strong message to investors around the world that Canada was prepared to take real action to support the mining sector.
“Ontario, Saskatchewan and the mining industry are concerned about how misguided federal policy will stand in the way of progress. Energy-intensive sectors, such as mining, are at great risk of suffering from skyrocketing energy costs.
“Given the challenges that our resource sectors, particularly uranium in Saskatchewan and steel and other metals in Ontario, are facing around trade, the federal government still has no plan to ensure that companies can access international markets in a transparent, stable, and effective fashion.”
The provinces are opposing the federal government’s carbon tax, which they believe will hurt jobs, and are also sceptical of the Bill C-69.
“This proposed legislation has the potential to use environmental assessments as weapons against future development. This short-sighted approach by the federal government will curb development efforts and prevent major development projects from getting off the ground.
“Until we address these issues that are hurting Canadian families, businesses, and the national economy, Ontario and Saskatchewan cannot endorse the CMMP."
Mineral production in Canada in 2017 totalled about $44-billion, with the country producing about 60 minerals and metals at 200 active mines and 7 000 pits and quarries. This industry accounts for 19% of Cananda’s total domestic exports and accounts for 5% of nominal gross domestic product.
"In a world increasingly looking for sustainably and responsibly sourced mineral products, Canada is unmatched. As global demand for sustainably developed resources grows, Canada must continue to capitalize on its natural and human advantage to ensure our competitiveness in global markets,” said Sohi.
The Minister, together with his provincial and territorial counterparts will discuss actions to realise this vision at the Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference, which will be held in July.