How does the QMA serve as a liaison between industry and government for Québec’s mining sector?

The QMA's mission is to promote, support and proactively develop a responsible, committed and innovative mining industry in Québec. We liaise with the provincial government to represent the interests of the mining industry in the domains of environment, sustainable development, health and safety, human resources, regulatory and fiscal environment.

The QMA also establishes committees to consult directly with the government. For example, the Québec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is working on their new vision for the development of mining, and we have been consulted many times on the main pain points that remain for the sustainability and further development of our industry in Québec. We then consult industry players before returning feedback to the government. Whenever a new policy may be adopted that will have an impact on mining, the relevant department usually calls the QMA first as we are the reference point for the industry.

What is the QMA’s role in promoting ESG-related measures?

The QMA is responsible for the adoption of Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) in Québec. TSM is now the most developed ESG standard in mining globally. Here in Québec, if a company refuses to adopt TSM, they are not allowed to remain a member of the QMA. Furthermore, the QMA provides training on TSM and ESG to its members to keep them well informed and aware of innovations and best practices.

Does Québec’s mining industry have the requisite resources to support its growth?

Québec is in a position such that if all mining projects currently on the table are realized, the scarcity of skilled labor will intensify, and we will face a new issue with the availability of electricity. Regarding skilled labor, we are in discussion with the government on how they can help, and we have discussed topics such as immigration and increased training initiatives for indigenous communities. Right now, we also lack places for these workers to stay, which has led to more fly-in fly-out operations than we would like.

Similarly, all industries are working towards reducing their consumption of fossil fuels and replacing that dependence with electricity. But if all of today's projects come to fruition, where will we get the requisite electricity from? Hydro-Québec is immensely beneficial to the industry in providing cheap, green energy. At the end of the day, however, hydropower is a finite resource and cannot charge everything at once. To properly transition, Québec will have to produce more electricity, which will require more infrastructure.

How can the industry do a better job of attracting young talent?

Last year, the QMA ran a survey and focus groups with young people to understand how we could better attract their generation to join our industry. What we found is this generation places significant importance on the environment, so we need to demonstrate the strides the industry has taken and continues to take here. Younger people wish for a more active lifestyle with varied interests, a life full of challenges, novelties and adventures. They want challenges in their jobs and more free time for other activities. We are working on ways to attract young talent by showing that working in mining will meet their different lifestyle needs.

How has Québec’s government made the permitting process easier?

The Québec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources recently established a Rights coordination office project that works directly with mining project developers to provide more support and prevent bottlenecks in the permitting process. The department allocates somebody to each mining project to accompany them through the process.

However, to develop a mine, you need to go through several departments to obtain different permits, and it would be much easier if companies could submit their documents to a single platform. Furthermore, when you do an environmental impact assessment, you need to get clearance on both the provincial and federal level, which should be further harmonized. Some might say that we should simplify regulations, which is interpreted as a wish for fewer regulations. But really, it is the administrative burden of regulations that must be reduced and simplified. Permitting processes and delays must be more predictable and delays must be reduced.