Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the Honourable Jim Carr for presenting to the committee the mandate letter he received from the Prime Minister. Clearly, we need to pay special attention to the important sector that is natural resources.
As you know, mine is the Nickel Belt riding, a region named after the natural resource it is home to, nickel.
It's refreshing to see that the government's approach to natural resource development includes cooperation with the private sector, aboriginal peoples, the municipalities and the three ministers affected by the issue.
As far as support for innovation and clean energy is concerned, it's also very refreshing to hear your plans for the forest, fishery, mining and agriculture industries. I am really looking forward to working with the committee, the minister and Parliament on developing our country's natural resources.
My questions today are about the mining sector.
Nickel Basin in northern Ontario is home to one of the most innovative technology and R and D initiatives. It's kind of a best-kept secret in the mining industry and industry across Canada.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to be at the official launch of LMIT, Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology. Laurentian University is a world-class leader in R and D in mining research, when you look at the application of innovation in the mining company. It's the only university across Canada that actually has exploration and mining all around it, so they're in a very good position to prosper that.
Part of that LMIT group is the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health. There is also MERC, the Mineral Exploration Research Centre. There is also MIRARCO which looks at mining innovation, and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, which our Prime Minister visited.
In addition, in northern Ontario we also have NORCAT. NORCAT partners with the private sector in the mining industry to look at bringing some of the products to market. Also, we have CEMI, the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation. The other element we looked at, which is responsible for 23,000 mining and supply jobs across northern Ontario, is SAMSSA. It looks at exporting our products across the world. In addition, as you've heard, there's Neutrino's SNOLAB, which recently won a Nobel prize in physics.
There are a lot of amazing R and D projects happening in the mining industry.
Laurentian University has just applied for funding with the Canada First research excellence fund. This fund typically looks at aerospace, technology, and the health sector. This $65-million R and D initiative is the only application in the mining industry. Laurentian University has made the short list, and is partnering with another fine institution, the University of British Columbia.
Minister, you mentioned earlier about the importance of the mining industry to Canada, and then the innovation part of it. I'll just give a few facts about the mining industry for the committee.
There are approximately 380,000 people across Canada.... The mining industry is the largest employer of aboriginal peoples in Canada on a proportional basis. Employment is poised to increase. Canada has the largest mining and supply sector globally, with more than 3,400 companies supplying engineering, geotech, environmental, and financial, and now they're supplying mining operations.
Those who work in mining have the highest-paid salaries of any industrial sector in Canada, with an average annual pay exceeding $110,000. Canada has an economic agenda in the mining industry for contributing $54 billion to the country's GDP. Also, we're exporting 19.6% of our Canadian goods across the world. When we look at mining and mineral production, we're talking about $43 billion in the Canadian economy.
I extend an invitation for you to visit northern Ontario and the mining industry to look at the innovation and research.
My question, Mr. Minister, is that many companies have spent millions of dollars for exploration of mining projects in Canada. How can the National Energy Board, in co-operation with the Department of the Environment and Climate Change, help to facilitate and support the mining industries and companies in simplifying the start-up of new mines for quicker processing times, permits, and certificates of environmental assessments, which have lagged behind during the past decade?
The second question is, how can Natural Resources, the National Energy Board, and the Department of Environment and Climate Change support the increase and the improvements of the regulatory conditions for exporting across the world?
Thank you.