When I attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) International Convention this month I found it remarkable that, while the mining industry is facing some of the hardest times in recent memory, delegates were focused on preparing for the turn around. They want to be able to hit the ground running when we emerge from the recession.

Since mining is the lifeblood of our northern economy, representing 12.5 percent of Man-itoba’s annual exports and employing more than 6,000 people, I was disappointed to hear from more than a few industry representatives who are frustrated with the NDP government, in particular with Minister Jim Rondeau who is responsible for mining, because he did not attend the convention. His absence was concerning because the industry is looking for practical policy direction from the provincial government and the Minister wasn’t there to answer their questions.

They talked to me about their concerns instead. They told me about the long waits they face for mining permits from the Manitoba government - in some cases more than two years. The longer it takes a company to get a permit, the longer it will be before new mining jobs come to northern communities.

Many also expressed frustration at the lack of government direction regarding the consultation process with local communities and how slowly it occurs because the province only has one person working on community consultations.

It’s not surprising that exploration requires investors, but investors like stability. Without clear protocols in place for the community consultation process, questions regarding land claims and treaty land entitlements are often left unresolved, adding instability to the process. This in turn hurts the small prospectors and companies which in turn harms economic development in northern Man-itoba.

The mining industry offers opportunities for local communities, inve-stors, mining companies as well as the province. Managed well industry opportunities represent wins for all of the parties involved. Ignored, they represent lost jobs, investors who will not come to Manitoba and lost provincial tax revenues.

Manitoba’s mining ind-ustry was once ranked the best in the world by members of industry but has since dropped to 8th. Let’s hope we don’t have to drop further in the eyes of the industry before the NDP government takes action.

Sincerely,

Cliff Cullen

PC Critic for Science, Technology, Energy and Mines