COMMENTARY — New name, similar mandate

The author is the newly appointed president of the Mining Association of Canada. He has written the following article at the request of Keep Mining in Canada, an organization designed to increase awareness of the importance of mining in this country.

A new year often brings the start of new things; for Keep Mining in Canada, it brings a new name.

Last June, the board of directors of the Mining Association of Canada decided to extend Keep Mining in Canada’s mandate for three years. This also seemed like an opportune time to look at the direction the program was taking.

In 1993, mining investment was pouring out of Canada, and Keep Mining in Canada was established to respond to this alarming trend. The program’s name was chosen to reflect the urgency of the message the mining industry wanted to deliver to federal decision-makers. Today, while much still remains to be done to encourage mining here, the Canadian mining industry has regained some of that lost ground. We no longer need the clarion call of “Keep mining in Canada!” Rather, we need to underscore the positive contribution the industry makes to the Canadian economy.

The campaign’s new name, unveiled at last month’s Lobby Day in Ottawa, does just that. It conveys a simple, easily understood message: Mining Works for Canada.

In addition to changing the name, we also reviewed the Keep Mining in Canada program to see if it still served the industry’s needs. We decided that its objective should remain unchanged: to enhance the competitiveness and prosperity of the Canadian mining industry. The program’s approach will be one of partnership with government as it continues to move toward this goal.

A key change has occurred with respect to issues the program will address.

Although Keep Mining in Canada built awareness with both the public and federal decision-makers, members of parliament had been asking us to adopt a more focused approach. We have complied. Rather than covering a broad spectrum of concerns, Mining Works for Canada will concentrate its efforts on two or three issues per year.

As we found out at Lobby Day, the importance of the mining industry has been impressed upon members of parliament. We have made them aware of our concerns and, more importantly, we have persuaded them that the prosperity of not only the mining industry, but of the entire country, depends on their response. Our commitment to continue that work remains unchanged.