Evidence of meeting #45 for International Trade in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was export.
A video is available from Parliament.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
Can I jump in on that last point quickly?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
A really good point was made by a couple of our members at a meeting not too long ago with the Minister of International Trade. Eldorado's gold mine in Val-d'Or, Quebec, was financed by their investments in Turkey and the money they made in Turkey. The Côté gold mine of Iamgold in northern Ontario was financed by their mines in other parts of the world. When Canadians go abroad, it comes back. It comes back and it benefits us. We have to remember that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much.
We will move on to Mr. Simard for one minute, please.
Jonquière—Hébertville—Pays-des-Bleuets, BQ
It's hard to say a lot in just one minute, so I'm going to go back to the question Mr. McKenzie asked earlier about how to generate enthusiasm for natural gas in Quebec.
Perhaps you need to understand that, in Quebec, our main source of energy is hydroelectricity. It accounts for 14% of our energy mix. In Canada's overall energy mix, it's only 17%. So it's a bit counterintuitive for a Quebecer to consider developing natural gas when our primary energy source is hydroelectricity. It's like asking Albertans to develop hydroelectricity when they're well aware that their energy sources are oil and gas.
However, I have a quick question for Ms. Exner-Pirot. If we want to develop such projects, my concern is that, based on what I'm seeing right now, infrastructure development requires significant public sector investment. The private sector seems reluctant to invest in pipelines or gas pipelines. Do you share my view on this?
Director, Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
I don't agree. It's really just the one pipeline, the west coast oil pipeline. In the last week, we've seen that LNG Canada phase two is likely to get an FID next week. That will be tens of billions of dollars. Woodfibre and Cedar LNG are getting developed with private money. There is a new pipeline, South Bow-Bridger, a Keystone XL kind of thing, that is getting developed. We'll likely have a final investment decision next year. Again, that is private money.
It's really just the west coast oil pipeline that needs the support. It's clear why that particular project needs support. Northern gateway was cancelled because the Impact Assessment Act was layered on top of it and we made a private sector pipeline to the west coast impossible. I'm glad the federal government and Alberta have recognized that and are intervening in what is a unique situation, I would think, where the private sector couldn't step in.
Liberal
September 24th, 2026 / 4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC
Thank you very much.
I'm new to this committee, so I might ask some questions that have already been addressed. If so, forgive me.
I'm kind of surprised to learn that in terms of technology, our smelting technology is 100 years old. If that's the case, how long will it take for us to catch up? Will it be another 100 years?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
That's a good question. I can't pretend to know the answer. We have been overtaken not just by China but also by India and Brazil in that particular field, because we haven't been in a position to build new facilities in Canada for quite some time. We've been in the business of closing them. In those intervening decades, others have moved forward. We have stayed with the same technology we used in order to build those facilities in the first place. We would have to go to them for help. It's doable, but I think we need to be mindful that building a new....
People have talked for years about how we have a lot of copper coming out of B.C., so why can't we have a copper smelter in B.C.? We'd need an awful lot of feed and we'd need to have others help us build it. The margins are so tight because of the virtual control China has over that particular market. It's a real uphill battle. In our view, you're not likely to get a private sector proponent to bring a new smelter forward absent a mega discovery and probably some fiscal support from government.
Conservative
Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC
That's probably something we have to worry about. When you say that we need people to help, are you referring to other countries?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
Yes. I mean—
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
It's because they've built facilities more recently. They've been investing in the technology because they've been building out their smelting and refining capacity, whereas we've been sitting back, sitting on our aging assets and not building any new ones. When you're not working on something, you don't get any better at it. Whereas China has 65 copper smelters, we have one. That's where we're at. There are all of four in North America, including Mexico, and China has 65.
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
They are.
Conservative
Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC
Why would they come to Canada and help us compete with them? That's wishful thinking.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
We're going to have a free trade agreement with India, and they are also in the business, so maybe they will help us.
It also doesn't make any sense to me why the United States has section 232 tariffs on copper. We should be working together on this because it's a common challenge, but they seem to be putting what remains of our North American copper refining capacity at risk. However, that's a whole other conversation.
Conservative
Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC
Even if some countries were willing to rescue us, what are the obstacles we have that would prevent—
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Association of Canada
We need more mines. We need the feed.
There's good news coming out. There's the Generation Mining project in Ontario, a palladium, precious metal and copper mine. There's the Troilus mine in Quebec. There's the McIlvenna copper mine in Saskatchewan. All of those are providing feed for the Horne smelter, or they will once they're up. That's new domestic feed for the Horne smelter, which hasn't had new domestic feed in ages. This is good news, and if we can get more of that, we might start to be able to justify additional investments.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much.
I'm sorry, Mr. Au, but your time is up.
Mr. Ehsassi, please go ahead.
Liberal
Ali Ehsassi Liberal Willowdale, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses. This study is off to a great start, and it's in large part thanks to the experts we have here today.
I would like to start with Ms. Tronnes.
In response to an earlier question, you alluded to the fact that there were “significant moves” for greater foreign investment. Would you care to elaborate on what has been so unprecedented about some of the government's initiatives over the course of the past six months?
Executive Director, Center for North American Prosperity and Security
It's the audacity of Canada trying to stamp the ability to get foreign capital here with things like the mega deduction that has made headlines and the desire to extend and diversify our trading partners. All of those things are great moves, but the big thing, as it concerns this committee, is that Canada is starting to look at investing in and valuing the oil and gas and extractive industries that we have and were endowed with. Getting those to market is something that we're finally seeing a federal government make a priority.
My only caveat is that we need to move even faster. These are the right moves, but they need to be faster moves. If anything, there are a few things still holding us back, like industrial carbon taxes, but at the end of the day, this is the kind of stuff foreign direct investment wants to see. Investors want to see tax deductions. They want to see incentives. They want to see certainty and want to know they will be able to come to and invest in Canada in the extractive market, where they can build something that will last for generations.
Liberal
Ali Ehsassi Liberal Willowdale, ON
I would like to follow up on the question Mr. Mantle posed to you. He said that he feels his party is being criticized and its members are very keen to be more active. I haven't sensed a lot of activity in terms of Conservative members going down to the U.S. Is it your opinion that Mr. Jamil Jivani's visits to the U.S. were helpful or positive?
Executive Director, Center for North American Prosperity and Security
I certainly didn't meet with Mr. Jivani when he was here, and I have actually never met Mr. Jivani in person, but I understand the reports of his meetings here were mixed. However, any voices that can help Canada in what is increasingly becoming a hostile capital for Canada, we need all the help we can get, so I'm more than happy to meet with anyone who wants to come down here and talk Canada.
Liberal
Ali Ehsassi Liberal Willowdale, ON
I say that because when Mr. Jivani came back, we were hoping that he could provide us with some information. All he would tell us is that Mr. Trump loves Canada. That—