GUEST COLUMN — Jake Epp should resign

The current situation with Canada’s federal mines minister Jake Epp and his Department of Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) is so bad that the only solution is to demand the minister’s resignation.

Despite an obvious looming crisis in the industry, Epp was absent during the last two Mines Ministers conferences. When the Westray coal disaster in Nova Scotia happened, what did Epp do? He deferred all questions to Tom Hockin, the minister for small business. At a meeting with Timmins, Ont., area mining representatives in Ottawa, he responded to a presentation on the industry’s difficulties: “There is nothing new in what you say. If you think mining has problems, look how tough times are in the oil patch.” As recently as this summer, Epp is reported to have commented that mining in Canada was clearly close to an inevitable demise.

Excuse me Jake, but there aren’t too many towns in Alberta experiencing the kind of difficulties seen in mining communities like Elliot Lake and Kirkland Lake in Ontario. It is clear the minister either does not understand the nature of the problem we are facing, or he simply chooses to ignore it in favor of issues dearer to his heart such as western oil production. As for his EMR, it is arguable whether it is failing in its duty to clearly identify the looming crisis in mineral reserves in Canada because it is politically inadvisable to pass on negative data to a minister who does not wish to hear the bad news, or whether the department is so isolated from the realities of the mineral business that it can’t see that which is blatantly obvious. One EMR sage told me it couldn’t publicly support the “theory” that Northern Ontario’s resource industries were in trouble without further study. He was standing in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., at the time.

The greatest hypocrisy of all has been the recent tour by EMR officials through the mining communities. A few weeks before the upcoming Mines Ministers conference in Whitehorse, Yukon, a few of the EMR gurus are sent into the hinterland, not to find facts, but to see just how angry the locals were.

The time for this type of shallow, “show the flag” side show is long past. What needs to happen now is to begin a major shakeup at EMR. Start with a new minister who is at least interested in mining. Then find a few effective bureaucrats who are prepared to report the facts accurately, and then comment on the significance of these facts to communities like Timmins. EMR’s review in The Northern Miner Magazine (March, 1991) shows just how badly commentary on the industry’s problems is being mishandled at present. Ignoring Andres Lemieux’s alarming graph of Canada’s obvious reserve decline, EMR analyst A. B. Siminowski concludes: “As in the past, (mining) will continue to be a source of strength to the Canadian economy and will make a significant contribution to economic growth.” Not if we don’t increase exploration levels. And the coup de grace is offered by Donald Cranstone and Ginette Bouchard who provide the insight that “if (mining companies) wish to regain levels of mineral exploration effectiveness, . . . it may well be time for companies to reassess mineral exploration strategies.” Great idea Don, a lot of folks took your advice and went to Chile.

Resource communities need a mines minister who will be proactive in developing policies that bring exploration expenditures up to effective levels. And the minister needs an EMR staff who will inform him and the public of the serious nature of the problems. Until we get some significant changes, starting with a new mines minister, Ottawa will be of little use to the mineral industry. It’s time to resign, Jake.

— Steve Parry is the president of the Porcupine Prospectors and Developers Association and chairman of the Save Our North campaign.