Writing a new chapter in the Northwest Territories’ mining story

As a government, it was reassuring to attend this year’s Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto and hear messages from non-government experts that validate what we’ve been saying for quite some time: that the Northwest Territories’ reputation for strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, coupled with our incredible and still underexplored geology, is helping us build a special relationship with the mining sector. It’s what sets us apart from global competitors, and what makes us a great place to invest. This relationship began more than 25 years ago with agreements between our diamond mines, Indigenous governments, and communities; and has evolved to realize the partnered, socially, and environmentally conscious management of mining and exploration that exists today. The benefits have been significant. They include the creation of tens of thousands of jobs; training and career development opportunities for residents; and billions of dollars in Northern procurement that has contributed to the success of many Northern and Indigenous-owned companies, development corporations, and joint ventures that today give back to the communities in which they operate. Our regulatory framework places environmental protection, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous rights at the centre of decision-making, with the board structure having grown from modern treaties to ensure that Indigenous governments have a central role to play in the management of land and resources. With resource royalty sharing, socio-economic and impact benefit agreements, and co-management regulatory and legislation development, the NWT model is at the forefront of Indigenous participation in mining, exploration, and development in Canada, and likely globally. As the world’s resource and investment sectors emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of the Northwest Territories wants to apply these good practices to open a new chapter in our rich and long-standing mining story—critical minerals. The federal government has identified 31 minerals that it believes will position Canada as a leading supplier of critical minerals. Twenty-three of them are found in the NWT, placing us right at the heart of green energies and technologies of the future. Thanks to the success of the Nechalacho rare earth elements project, the NWT now holds claim to having the first rare earths mine in Canada, and second in North America. The project features an agreement with Det’on Cho Nahanni Construction Corporation, owned by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation to provide mining services. It is the first project in the country in which an Indigenous group has been contracted to extract minerals in its own territory. Caroline Wawzonek is the Northwest Territories’ minister of industry, tourism, and investment, and minister of finance. Photograph courtesy of the Government of the Northwest Territories Recently, the Government of Canada announced that it is developing a Critical Minerals Strategy and has committed to moving this initiative forward in a way that advances its commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The NWT can help meet these goals. The importance of having a strategy to target critical minerals came as no surprise to us, as we plan to release our own action plan this fall to achieve stronger critical minerals exploration and development. The relationships born and nurtured from within our resource sector are a confirmation that reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and specifically economic reconciliation can be at the forefront of our country’s work to advance reaching net zero by 2050, critical minerals, and green economies. The appetite for investments with strong ESG performance is only growing stronger. While the global industry catches up to the practices that the NWT has honed for nearly three decades, the territory is already championing the next generation of ESG, ESG-I: the application of ESG through an Indigenous lens. In the North, perhaps more than anywhere, we understand the relationship between resource development and socio-economic well-being. It’s not just that the NWT is open for business, but rather that business is getting done in a manner that is respectful and inclusive of NWT residents, their business interests, cultures, traditions, and priorities. The NWT’s approach puts the hard work of building meaningful relationships and partnerships at the forefront. Our NWT model is showing how to secure support and acceptance for projects through their full lifecycle. This assurance is the very definition of a secure investment and, together with its incredible resource potential, sets the NWT apart from global competitors. Caroline Wawzonek is the Northwest Territories' minister of industry, tourism, and investment, and minister of finance. The Hill Times