Infrastructure investment--mining Canada's future.

• Author: Demmings, Steve
• Position: COLUMN

While Canadians enjoyed a slower pace in lake country last summer, our federal colleagues have been engaged in national dialogues regarding Canadian resource development. Prime Minister Stephen Harper (on his recent annual tour of Canada's 1 North) and many senior federal ministers crisscrossed the country this summer. Federal representatives were conducting industry roundtables and emphasized that "every commodity that is IN or ON Canadian terra firma" is in demand today by developing countries such as India and China. This decade is being seen as an historic opportunity that should not be squandered in terms of creating new global trading relationships. Moreover, it is contingent upon us to ensure that our immense resources be utilized to maximize job creation and economic development opportunities in order that our resources can be utilized to fund social services and programs and generate economic wealth. In his stops across the country this summer, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver stated that "there could be more than 500 major projects equating to $500 billion in energy and mining investments over the next 10 years in the country."

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Mining is a global business. For us to realize our GDP potential, we must be cognizant that other resource-rich countries are vying for the export opportunities to developing countries. To create the spark to attract Wall and Bay Street equity and global skilled labour, Canada must develop world-class infrastructure to access remote mineral re-solxrces whether we are referring to the Plan Nord in Northern Quebec or the Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario. That is why Minister Oliver's Four Pillar plan for Responsible Resource Development to develop a federal process which "focuses on (1) more predictable and timely reviews, (2) less duplication in project review, (3) stronger environmental protection and (4) enhanced consultations with Aboriginal peoples," are excellent first steps to ensure our global competitiveness. It is no coincidence that the prime minister has made two high-profile trade missions to China this far in 2012 and Minister Oliver was in Mumbai in October, where according to the Globe and Mail he "was promoting greater trade and investment in the resource sector between Canada and India."

High-stakes posturing is being played by many provinces with resource development commanding national headlines, in particular British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario...