Aboriginal participation in the mineral industry

In 2005, PDAC established an Aboriginal Affairs Committee with a mandate to keep the board and membership informed on aboriginal affairs as they may impact on exploration and development in Canada. Promoting greater understanding between aboriginal communities and the mineral industry is a key objective and, to achieve this goal, the Committee has made it a priority to promote greater participation by aboriginal people in our association, this convention, as well as the industry itself.

To this end, the 2006 PDAC Convention will include a full technical session on Monday afternoon devoted to showcasing some of the many recent success stories of aboriginal participation in the mineral industry in Canada. The program, put together by co-chairs, Don Bubar of Avalon Ventures and Michael Fox of Nishnawbe-Aski Development Fund, will feature a number of examples of aboriginal community-driven initiatives to become active players in the industry as prospectors, service providers and project generators.

When you think about it, one quickly realizes that mineral prospecting is a natural extension of First Nations traditional land-use activities that can put traditional skills and knowledge of the land to valuable use. Through increased access to prospector training, aboriginal people are finding new showings and creating wealth and new opportunities for their communities. Recent examples of such initiatives from Kasabonika in northwestern Ontario and Wemindjii in northern Quebec will be presented at the session.

Leading off the session, will be a presentation by Jack Blacksmith and Youcef Larbi of the Cree Mineral Exploration Board who will describe how the precedent-setting La Paix des Braves agreement between the Cree Nation and Quebec has empowered the Crees to become major players in the mineral exploration business in northern Quebec. Integral to this agreement is an arrangement for resource revenue-sharing that has brought certainty to the First Nation’s royalty entitlements and which could serve as a positive precedent for other jurisdictions across Canada.

Three other presentations will showcase how First Nations are participating in new mining projects on Vancouver Island, at Voisey’s Bay in Labrador and at the highly successful Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories. In all three cases innovative partnerships were negotiated with First Nations that have or will maximize employment opportunities and result in new aboriginal-owned companies being established, while at the same time respecting traditional values.

The Aboriginal Affairs Committee is promoting the session in northern communities to attract delegates who may be unfamiliar with the benefits of mineral exploration and development. Commented Committee Chair, Don Bubar: “We are encouraging our members to sponsor people from the more remote aboriginal communities to attend the Convention. We see this as an opportunity to promote dialogue, demonstrate our vibrant industry, and begin working towards finding ways to resolve common concerns. What better place than at the PDAC Convention where the energy from 10,000 or more attendees is invigorating and delegates can share their experiences with people from around the world.”

To help build more awareness about the PDAC amongst northern communities in Ontario, in the summer of 2005, the association sponsored a canoe trip across northern Ontario, led by board member Glenn Nolan, Chief of Missanabie Cree First Nation, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 9.

Increasing participation by aboriginals in the mineral industry has enormous upside for everyone. At a time when the industry is experiencing shortages of both skilled and unskilled people, aboriginal communities represent a largely untapped source of scarce human resources. Creative partnership agreements, such as those to be presented at this session, may hold the key to the future prosperity of both First Nations and the mineral industry in Canada.