Thank you, Mr. Thrall.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the parliamentary standing committee.
I'd like to follow up Mr. Thrall's comments with some aspects and perspectives with respect to intergovernmental relations.
The Yukon Chamber of Mines enjoys a positive, constructive relationship with all levels of government. Working with federal, first nations, and Yukon governments, the Yukon Chamber of Mines contributes by ensuring that technical and industry expertise is provided to all parties when working towards creating socio-economic opportunities for communities and Yukoners.
Currently, the Yukon Chamber of Mines is working towards the production of an aboriginal consultation and engagement guidebook for proponents, in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Government of Canada, and the Yukon government. This work is being undertaken in order to provide clarity on the consultation and engagement requirements of a proponent when looking to conduct activities that occur on traditional territory of Yukon first nations.
The Yukon Chamber of Mines has provided its long-standing support to the settlement of the Umbrella Final Agreement. As Yukoners, we believed that the UFA would provide certainty for industry and was the next step in respect to the evolution of first nations governments. However, as an industry organization we would be remiss if we did not articulate a concern from industry that the erosion of intergovernmental relations among parties to the UFA over Bill S-6 is creating a level of uncertainty that affects the attractiveness of Yukon as a jurisdiction to invest in.
As the trusted voice of mining in Yukon, representing a membership of more than 400, we urge all levels of government to move towards respectful dialogue and to work towards a way by which we can provide socio-economic opportunities for communities and Yukoners while respecting the environment in doing so.
Thank you.