Liberal Report Fails Mining Sector

OTTAWA – In a report tabled in the House today, Conservative Members of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Mark Strahl, Critic for Natural Resources, John Barlow, MP for Foothills and Shannon Stubbs, MP for Lakeland, called on the Minister of Natural Resources to take action on a number of urgent concerns facing Canada’s mining sector.

“Canada’s mining sector was not well served by the committee’s Liberal majority. Their report reflects the interests of the governing party and not those of the thousands of middle-class Canadians working in the mining sector,” Strahl said.

“It’s concerning to me that the committee decided to omit key information brought forth from industry leaders about the implications of a Liberal Carbon Tax. Not only that, but they decided to add language we never heard,” said Barlow.

“The Liberals should listen to what mining sector officials, workers, and job creators said in committee, instead of turning a deaf ear and pretending everything is okay,” said Stubbs.

The dissenting report tabled in the House made the following recommendations:

· The Government of Canada should conduct a comprehensive economic impact assessment of a federal carbon tax on the mining sector and release it publicly before imposing this tax on this emission intensive trade-exposed industry.

· The Government of Canada should conduct an analysis to determine how Canada’s mining industry can remain competitive in the global marketplace, especially with a federally imposed carbon tax.

· The Government of Canada should make permanent, effectively immediately, the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC) and Flow-Through Share Financing.

· The Government of Canada should ensure that mining exploration and prospecting companies continue to have reasonable access to land, especially in Canada’s north.

· The Government of Canada should take into account the accumulative effect of human and other industrial activities in a given region rather than assess only large clearly defined projects such as mines. It should also reduce duplication in provincial processes and federal intrusion into provincial jurisdiction.

“Out of respect to the witnesses who testified before committee, we urge the Minister of Natural Resources to act on these common sense recommendations,” said Strahl.

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For more information:

Office of Mark Strahl, MP
mark.strahl.a1@parl.gc.ca
613-992-2940

Office of John Barlow, MP
john.barlow.a1@parl.gc.ca
613-995-8471

Office of Shannon Stubbs, MP
shannon.stubbs.a1@parl.gc.ca
613-992-4171