Thanks very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the committee for a chance to share a few words about Goldcorp's perspective, specifically on Canadian competitiveness.
For those of you who don't know, Goldcorp is headquartered in Vancouver. We employ close to 15,000 people globally, including 4,000 in Canada. We have a total of eight mines and operations in Ontario, Quebec and the Yukon, as well as operating in Argentina and Mexico.
In Canada, over the next four years we plan to invest over $2 billion in projects in the Yukon, Ontario and Quebec. We believe our business creates social and economic benefits for stakeholders at every phase of the life cycle of mining. Our domestic and international operations have been recognized for sustainable mining practices, a collaborative approach with indigenous communities and a commitment to strong corporate citizenship in the small, usually remote communities in which we are located.
In Canada, we have collaboration agreements with 26 first nations. We're very proud of that fact. We're also committed to playing a leading role in the deployment of low-carbon, clean technologies, both in mining and more generally. We recently launched our third #DisruptMining competition, designed to accelerate the pace of innovation and bring disruptive technologies to the mining industry. Entrepreneurs win a grand prize of a $1-million investment from Goldcorp.
As an example of our leadership, Goldcorp's Borden Gold project will be the first all-electric underground mine in the world. We'll replace all of our diesel mobile equipment with battery electric vehicles. This ambitious project will significantly improve the health and safety performance of the mine, reducing the environmental footprint through dramatic GHG reductions. The benefits of the all-electric site will be an example of leadership and innovation, clean technologies and health and safety in mining, for Ontario and for Canada in general.
We see three key areas to the future of mining in Canada.
The first is the need for regulatory certainty. In order to facilitate this we would propose the creation of a centre of excellence for regulatory success, which would have a mandate to oversee an agile, outcomes-driven and stringent regulatory system that aims to reduce project approval timelines, reduce duplication and improve overall efficiency.
We would also suggest that the system recognize individual situations and adapt the regulations accordingly. For example, developments with existing agreements with first nations in places where there might be disturbed lands already would be treated differently from a greenfield development.
As one of the largest employers of indigenous people, ensuring that communities are set up for success is critical to the potential of mining in Canada. The scale-up of indigenous businesses should be facilitated through increased federal indigenous business procurement, with incentives and programs to support integration into mainstream supply chains. The best practice of resource sector relationships with indigenous business could be further leveraged.
Increased support should also be available through direct contracts with third parties certified with indigenous firms. The fiscal tools available to support equity partnerships with indigenous businesses could also be leveraged. The indigenous talent pool must also be supported to participate in natural resource development.
Effective and responsive skills and training should be supported that meet the needs of both indigenous workers and those looking to hire. We believe that federal support needs to be applied to K-to-12 education in indigenous communities, and that this should be at par with the standards across all schools in Canada.
Universal broadband access across Canada is important to facilitating remote learning and upskilling opportunities in indigenous communities. Robust skills and training programs that promote apprenticeships and on-the-job learning will improve policy outcomes and create sustainable jobs.
A focus on clean technology and innovation will ensure a sustainable mining future in Canada, but industry has sometimes been unsuccessful in generating momentum on its own. Goldcorp supports the concept of a government-backed, single-point-of-contact, well-funded organization to ensure collaboration and to advance innovation and clean technology. Such a centre would allow industry to partner with innovators, universities and polytechnics to enable adoption of advanced technologies into the mainstream supply chain.
The key is that innovations to reduce water consumption, GHG emissions and waste be deployed broadly across industry so that we maintain the social licence to operate, continue to invest in Canada and create value for all Canadians.
The federal government should also ensure major financial incentives to facilitate accelerated scales and adoption of innovative technologies, such as 100% first-year capital cost allowance for new investments in innovation; tax incentives for first adoptions and companies investing in innovative start-ups; matching government grants to innovation that could have secured support for resource companies; and modernized SR and ED to enable scale-up and deployment with a focus on results.
Those are generally my recommendations. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts today. Thank you.