The mining industry is committed to building strong, progressive relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across Canada through engagement, collaboration and the development of mutually-beneficial partnerships.
This is exemplified by the industry’s track record of early and ongoing engagement, its commitment to continuous improvement of environmental and social performance and its history of constructive collaboration with decision-makers, Indigenous organizations and non-governmental organizations to advance public policy. As a result of its efforts, the mining industry has become the largest private-sector industrial employer, on a proportional basis, of Indigenous peoples in Canada and a trusted partner of Indigenous businesses.
Mining Association of Canada (MAC) members further demonstrate their commitment to respectful relationship building through participation in MAC’s Towards Sustainable Mining initiative (TSM). TSM was developed with the guidance from and continues to be overseen by a national Community of Interest Advisory Panel, which includes participation of individuals from Indigenous organizations and governments.
A core component of the program is the Indigenous and Community Relationships Protocol, which is designed to facilitate strong relationships through effective engagement and decision-making processes. It establishes good practice that includes striving to achieve free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) before proceeding with development where impacts to rights may occur.
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