Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, Chair and committee members. Thank you for inviting PDAC to appear today on behalf of Canada's mineral exploration industry.
I first want to acknowledge that I come to you from Toronto, on the traditional lands of the Huron, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, Wendat and Oneida peoples, the Anishnabeg, the Mississaugas of the Credit and all of the indigenous nations who have lived on these lands over the centuries.
The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, PDAC, is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development industry, with over 6,000 members in Canada and around the world, including nearly 1,000 corporate members. Notably, Canada's mineral industry consists of more than 1,100 public companies representing one-third of all listings on Canadian exchanges.
We understand that the Canadian mineral industry is a key component of our economy and that the demand for critical minerals will increase substantially as jurisdictions around the globe attempt to lower carbon emissions and expand renewable energy sources. There is simply no energy transition without minerals, and PDAC focuses our work on supporting a competitive, responsible and sustainable mineral industry that can help drive this change.
With these hallmarks in mind, the objectives and strategic goals of our association align with the recently released Canada's critical minerals strategy. We recognize how establishing new critical mineral supply chains will be a catalyst for economic growth and will create well-paying employment opportunities across our country and in many regions around the world. We also understand that mineral explorers and developers working at home and abroad must continue to evolve best practices to attract the people, access the land and generate the capital needed for Canada's critical minerals strategy and a sustainable future to become reality.
From governments, there must be clearly defined development pathways for viable critical mineral deposits in Canada in order to meet our emission, conservation and biodiversity-related objectives.
From industry, we must continue to ingrain environmental, social and governance standards into the mineral exploration and development process that place human rights as a central pillar. Such actions can lay groundwork for collaborating with other nations and allow Canadian companies to export responsible mineral exploration and development activities around the world.
Part of our work at PDAC is to develop tools that support industry. The year 2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of what we originally named “e3”, which is now e3 Plus, a framework for responsible exploration. This guidance suite provides mineral exploration companies with the tools needed to improve their social, environmental and health and safety performances. This framework includes specific content on human rights and environmental stewardship and outlines how to conduct risk assessments to identify potential direct and indirect impacts on human rights in advance of exploration. Our e3Plus also outlines how companies should review and update risk assessments regularly as they move through different stages of the exploration process.
PDAC has actively engaged and supported the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, CORE, in developing their mandate. We also remain committed to working with Global Affairs Canada, NRCan, the CORE, the trade commissioner service and others to ensure that Canada's mining and exploration sector can continue to be a global leader in sustainable and responsible practices.
We are widely recognized for the PDAC annual convention that brings mineral explorers, developers and miners from more than 100 countries together in one place to connect. Convention programming provides a venue to share perspectives, offer professional education and create a collaborative environment to share best practices.
Our suite of programs for 2023 includes "Changing global rules? The impact of EU's raw materials strategy", which will see European representatives discuss the impact of governmental strategies on Canadian mineral exploration companies operating in and outside the EU. We are also offering "Navigating complex waters: Tools for security, conflict, and human rights", which is a session tailored specifically towards providing guidance to mineral exploration and mining companies on respecting human rights in operational security.
We have sent invitations to all Canadian parliamentarians to attend PDAC 2023. We certainly encourage members of this committee to attend our convention and in particular to take part in our dedicated sustainability program. This program will host the sessions I just mentioned, plus other topics ranging from ESG disclosure, co-operative agreement development and creating harassment-free work environments that are safe for all.
We will be sure to send this invitation directly to the committee's clerk to ensure that it is at your disposal.
Our association does not ignore the fact that the mineral exploration and mining industry has made missteps in the past. However, in the vast majority of cases, Canadian companies operate to the highest standards, both within and outside of Canada. PDAC and our e3 Plus framework, along with other cohort associations like the Mining Association of Canada—which was not able to be here with us today—and its Towards Sustainable Mining initiative are built expressly to help accelerate the adoption of best practices in regions that may have less regulatory oversight and to export Canadian values abroad.
Thank you for your time. I and my colleague, Jeff Killeen, will welcome any questions.