Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference
NUNAVUT — Ontario Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Greg Rickford, and Saskatchewan Minister of Energy and Resources Bronwyn Eyre released the following statement today following the 2018 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference:
“On behalf of the Provinces of Ontario and Saskatchewan, we would like to thank the Government of Nunavut for hosting this year’s Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC). We were proud to represent the people of our provinces in Iqaluit and appreciated the opportunity to see first-hand the opportunities in Canada’s North.
In recent years, Canada’s energy and mining sectors have faced extreme economic challenges. And while our provinces agreed with some of the themes covered in the EMMC communique, Ontario and Saskatchewan felt that the communique needed to address these challenges and send a strong message that the provinces and federal government are prepared to take action and support our energy and mining sectors. As such, we were not signatories.
Provinces and industry continue to be concerned about Bill C-69. The proposed bill is fundamentally contradictory to several of Canada’s long-term strategic goals and it effectively hinders natural resource related economic development within the country. The changes in the new Impact Assessment Act would result in a more complex, costly and time-consuming process, while creating uncertainty that could ultimately erode Canada’s economic competitiveness.
We also know that the challenges facing Canada’s competitiveness in the energy and mining sectors will not be solved by a job-killing carbon tax. Ontario and Saskatchewan’s position has been clear: a carbon tax, in any form, is damaging to families, businesses, and the Canadian economy.
At last month’s annual Council of the Federation meeting, the Premiers requested a First Minister Meeting on the economy. It is critical that the federal government and the Prime Minister take action on the economic headwinds facing Canada.”
