OTTAWA - Today Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines stood before the federal Senate Standing Committee on the Government of Canada's proposed Bill C-69, which overhauls the Federal Environmental Assessment Act and politicizes the approval process for resource development and energy projects.
Speaking on behalf of the workers affected by the Bill, Minister Rickford expressed concern that without significant adjustments, if passed, this legislation would hinder new natural resource and energy projects across Ontario, killing thousands of potentialjobs.
"The energy and mining industries play a critical role in driving economic growth and supporting thousands of jobs across Ontario," said Minister Rickford. "In its current form, Bill C-69 will grind new resource development and the energysector to a halt across Canada, killing jobs that hardworking families depend on to make ends meet."
Ontario's mineral sector employs over 76,000 direct and indirect jobs across the province and depends on regulatory certainty. Having a valuable resource in the ground and vast mineral exploration potential is only one part of the decision-makingprocess that leads to new projects getting off the ground. Adding red tape and new regulatory hurdles kills investments in new projects and the jobs that go along with it.
"Our government clearly recognizes the importance of protecting the environment, but we must do so in a way that supports competitiveness, job creation, economic development and growth in the North." said Minister Rickford. "We continueto have serious reservations about Bill C-69 in its current form, but we remain committed to working with the federal government to improve the legislation and ensure the concerns of the energy and mining industries are adequately addressed."