Ottawa's critical mineral strategy calls for faster project approvals
"[The government of Canada] recognizes that to meet our ambitious climate and economic objectives to transition to a net-zero economy, additional mechanisms must be in place to expedite and facilitate strategic critical mineral projects from investment and funding opportunities, through regulatory approvals and development, to production."
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson unveiled the strategy in Vancouver on this Friday.
Increasing extraction will mean more Canadian mines. But before any new mining project can proceed, it must undergo a rigorous environmental review and permitting process — sometimes more than once.
The new strategy document recognizes that faster environmental reviews and regulatory oversight are needed to meet the challenge — and that Canada's current patchwork of project review processes isn't up to the task.
"For major development projects where both federal and provincial impact or environmental assessments are required," says the strategy document, "the Government of Canada is committed to meeting the objective of 'one project, one assessment.'"
Ottawa's critical mineral strategy calls for faster project approvals | CBC News