Commentary: Canadian and Australian federal governments lay out plans for mining – by Jon Baird (Northern Miner – April 25, 2019)

Northern Miner

In August 2017, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for mining called for a Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) to support industry competitiveness, solidify Canada’s position as a global mining leader, and to lay the foundation for lasting success at home and abroad.

The CMMP was unveiled at the annual convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada in early March 2019. Canada was beaten to the punch by Australia, which introduced its National Resources Statement in mid-February of this year.

Other that the fact that the Australian document includes oil and gas as well as mining, the two reports could have been written by the same committee. At just over 50 pages, they are similar in length with Australia strong on colourful pictures of the mining industry, while Canada offers extensive text and infographics.

Indeed, the mining industries of Canada and Australia and share many similarities. They are important drivers of the economy, provide jobs and tax revenues, produce similar commodities, employ advanced technologies, and are substantial exporters of raw materials as well as equipment, services and technology used in mining.

They also share the fact that they are located in federations where provinces or states control resource extraction. Federal governments in both countries try to set mineral policies, but the subsidiary jurisdictions go their own ways, leading to a dilution of national effort.

For the rest of this column: https://www.northernminer.com/news/commentary-canadian-and-australian-federal-governments-lay-out-plans-for-mining/1003806150/