MAC in the News

The federal government is designating a single agency to oversee what is expected to be a more stringent and far-reaching review process, amid concerns Canada is burdening the industry with new and untested layers of regulations.

Seafood, mining, non-dairy agriculture, forestry and manufacturing industries are set to get a boost as Canada joins 10 other countries to form the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPATPP).

The Philippines, a global mining hot spot marred by many disasters from toxic leaks to mudslides, will adopt Canada’s mining sustainability standards to improve engagement with civil society and enhance transparency and accountability.

The Liberal government is increasing pressure on Canadian companies to respect human rights abroad with the launch of a new ombudsperson focused on corporate social responsibility.

OTTAWA CITIZEN In the midst of a significant economic downturn, the mining industry is working hard to weather the storm, says the head of an Ottawa-based industry lobby group. While mining companies deal with the current slump, the association’s message to government is to remind it that this business is cyclical. “In a few years, the commodity market will bounce back and you want to be in a strong position to take advantage of that when it comes,” Gratton said.

PIERRE GRATTON, NORTHERN MINER MAC response to a Northern Miner editorial, which inaccurately portrayed the federal regulatory environment for mining. The editorial mistakenly describes the Conservative government’s environmental reforms as they relate to mining, prompted perhaps by reading inaccurate news reports, of which there have been many over the years. Regrettably, this has become a common misunderstanding shared by NGOs and other media in thinking that regulatory oversight of mining diminished under the Conservatives when, in fact, the opposite is true.

CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL Mining companies that want to invest in projects to boost efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions can apply for federal funding if they are meeting Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) protocols as set out by the Mining Association of Canada. The funding, up to 50% of eligible expenses up to $40,000, will be provided by the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC), a division of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

HENRY LAZENBY, MINING WEEKLY The Canadian mining industry had been a strong supporter of transparency. From 2012 to 2014, the MAC and fellow members of the Resource Revenue Transparency Working Group (RRTWG) – the PDAC, Publish What You Pay-Canada and the Natural Resource Governance Institute – developed recommendations for Canadian governments and advocated for Canada to join the global transparency movement by making payment disclosure mandatory through legislation.