Evidence of meeting #6 for Natural Resources in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chairman.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
I have a quick question.
With my cellphone, for example, with my BlackBerry, in terms of the amount of rare minerals in this, just so I understand, how much are you talking about? When you talk about minute, how minute?
Director General, Industry and Economic Analysis Branch, Department of Natural Resources
It's a few milligrams.
NDP
Director General, Industry and Economic Analysis Branch, Department of Natural Resources
Absolutely. Some of the rare earth will be used for that, but the colours on the screen of your BlackBerry are the phosphorus characteristics of rare earth. There are different types of rare earths. A number of them will make it into a cellphone or a BlackBerry.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Mr. Julian, Mr. Gravelle's time is up, but there is a spot open for the NDP a little later, if you'd like to take that.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
There was a study from Wilfrid Laurier University that was reviewing some aquatic toxicity. They highlighted some gaps. Canmet is doing some additional research now on the effects of rare earth elements on northern aquatic species. Where's that at to date? Has there been any future request or a thought to extend that outside of the northern aquatic species to any impacts on terrestrial species?
Director General, CanmetMining, Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman, indeed, we are working with Wilfrid Laurier on the toxicity of rare earth elements. Our work is very complementary. We're doing work on some northern species, with some invertebrates. The work is still in its initial phase, but we're working very closely with Wilfrid Laurier to get this work going.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
How is that work funded? Is it co-funded, or provincially funded, or funded by multi-levels of government? How does that break down?
November 25th, 2013 / 4:50 p.m.
Director General, CanmetMining, Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman, some of the projects cited here in our deck have in-kind contributions from the industry in terms of leveraging the funds. We have all the expertise and resources to get the work done. Possibly there is funding from the university—I don't know—but we know there is good collaboration between the two organizations to advance this study.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
Is it predominantly occurring in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, or is it moving into the Northwest Territories as well? Do you know what the geographic region of the study is?
Director General, CanmetMining, Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman, I'm afraid I don't have the answer for this question.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
That's no problem.
On that initial question about there being any thought into the future, has there been any indication at this point that there would be a need to move into toxicity research on land animals, not just the aquatic end? Or is there no indication of that yet?
Director General, CanmetMining, Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman, there is no indication, but certainly, upon the success of this project and the results we'll be getting from this study, it might expand into other aquatic systems or environmental ecosystems.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
Comparatively speaking, we talked a little earlier in some of your testimony about how there's some international collaboration on research and development. I guess my assumption is that Canada is probably in one of the better positions to take the lead on a northern aquatic toxicity study. Of course, there are other geographic regions similar to Canada's, but where are we at in terms of the international stage taking this on?
Typically, when this is done.... Of course, you'll be working with Wilfrid Laurier and they'll have a network of communities that they can push research out to, but does the Government of Canada have a practice, not just of making this research available, but of really making an extended effort to make sure they share this with other arctic parliamentarians, let's say, or with other arctic or northern regions of the globe that would benefit from a northern aquatic study?
Director General, CanmetMining, Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Chairman, we have made some contacts with some other countries outside Canada, such as Australia. In Australia, they have the same types of deposits that Canada has in terms of the heavy rare earths, but it's an industry that's very conservative, and it's very hard to find out what's being done in other countries.
We know that other countries, such as Japan and the EU countries, are doing work on rare earths, but they're more focused on recycling than the hydromet process.
The information we have to date is limited to what we have in Canada.
Conservative
Ryan Leef Conservative Yukon, YT
Do we know a percentage for what market supply we're capable of for Canadian needs from recycling versus the actual mining?
