Thank you for the question from our great parliamentary colleague here from Brantford–Brant. He is doing a tremendous job.

This tax proves that they do not care about the people of the north who heat their homes with oil or propane while they make a living mining minerals to keep this province flourishing.

It’s time to learn from our colleagues in north Nova Scotia, who, across all parties, passed a unanimous motion in the Legislature calling on their federal counterparts to vote against the carbon tax hike. It’s disgraceful that the opposition and Liberals in this House do not have the same priorities as their Atlantic colleagues.

Make no mistake, Speaker: This Justin Trudeau tax on everything, supported by the Liberals and NDP members in this House, make it tougher for mining companies to operate. Mining companies in Ontario have had enough. Tell your friends in Ottawa to scrap this tax.

Thank you to the member from Brantford–Brant for this very important question.

Speaker, a U of T study shows that creating one new mine creates an over-$300-million increase in Ontario’s GDP and creates approximately 2,000 jobs. That’s why we want more mines. But the carbon tax is threatening these opportunities to grow our economy.

The NDP and the Liberals support this disastrous tax. They support hiking up fuel costs for the exploration companies in my riding that are working out in the bush, searching for new mines. They support hurting small businesses in Timmins by making it more expensive to get the drills turning and ship the core samples to the labs around Ontario. They support making it more expensive for large mining companies to reinvest their opportunities and extend mining opportunities in their own ridings.

Speaker, we need the opposition to join us in telling their friends in Ottawa to axe this tax.

I’ve said it many times: There’s no electric vehicle revolution without mining.

I was encouraged this past year when the feds followed our lead by creating their own critical minerals strategy to support the homegrown electric vehicle supply chain. But they can’t have it both ways. You can’t put a tax that will raise the costs of our minerals at a time when we are competing globally. Yet, they’re imposing a tax that ensures that every part and process required to make electric vehicles is more expensive, especially our critical minerals. You heard it right, Speaker; the members opposite support the federal carbon tax that burdens the people and industries required to build EVs. It’s shameful that they support a tax that makes life more unaffordable for families and makes job-creating industries less competitive.

It’s time to axe this tax.

Thank you to the member from Brantford–Brant for the question. Thanks to our government, the opportunities for the Ontario mining industry have never been better than they are right now. This is the result of our plan to make Ontario the leading mining jurisdiction in Canada. We have made strategic investments like the $35 million in the Ontario Junior Exploration Program and $5 million in the Critical Minerals Innovation Fund. We have passed the Building More Mines Act to cut through red tape to ensure that government operates at the pace of business. The response from industry has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are just getting started.

Even though we all know how important mining is for the economy, the NDP voted no to every investment and every red tape initiative we have done to support this sector. It’s a shameful record, Speaker.

We know we can’t do this without strong industry partners like the Ontario Mining Association. I invite all members to join the Meet the Miners reception with the OMA at 5 p.m. today at the Sheraton Hotel. I encourage everyone, including the opposition, to come and learn about the sector—which is a sector they clearly have lost faith in.

The future of our economy is evolving right now, but none of it can happen without mining. Everyone needs to vote yes to mining.

I want to thank the member from Brantford–Brant for the question.

The people of Ontario, including the great riding of Timmins, a mining community, voted in a historic PC majority because they wanted action. They know we have a generational opportunity to build the supply chain from mining critical minerals in the north to manufacturing electrical vehicles in the south, but we can’t take 15 years to build a mine if we’re going to get it done. The NDP and the Liberals think it’s acceptable to take 15 years to build a mine, but I’ll tell you who won’t accept these timelines. It’s not acceptable for our government or for mining companies, and it’s not acceptable for the people living in northern NDP ridings who rely on this sector to put food on their tables.

The members opposite had a chance to support their constituents by voting in favour of the Building More Mines Act, but they chose to vote no.

The Building More Mines Act is all about keeping pace with business so we can build a supply chain that connects critical minerals in the north with manufacturing in the south. The EV revolution has already begun, and this bill will ensure Ontario continues to lead the charge—but the opposition still voted no; I’m not surprised, because they also voted no to our Critical Minerals Strategy investments, include $35 million for exploration to find the mines of the future and $5 million to solve the supply chain challenges through innovation.

Speaker, the people of Ontario, especially in the north, will always be supported by this government, despite the party of no.

Our government, under the leadership of this Premier, will secure the critical minerals we need to realize this opportunity of a lifetime.

Thanks for the question from the honourable member across from Brantford–Brant.

I want to talk specifically about one project and one First Nation: TTN. They’re a First Nation that is just north of Timmins. They have partnered with Canada Nickel, and it’s a very interesting cobalt-nickel project—the mineral that it’s hosted with is serpentine. Serpentine absorbs CO₂. The First Nation is the owner of the transmission line that will carry the power to that project. They own that transmission line. The chief is Bruce Archibald. His sister is RoseAnne Archibald—and I’m sure everybody knows who RoseAnne is. She told us last week, prior to this development—before supporting this development, the employment rate was 85%. Now it’s below the national average—

Thanks to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade’s efforts, we are securing unprecedented investments on the other end of the supply chain. We are matching those efforts through our proposed legislation, the Building More Mines Act, which, if passed, would save companies time and money. It will increase business certainty. It will promote investment in Ontario’s mining sector so we can continue to be a responsible producer of critical minerals to power the global EV revolution.

President Biden just told the House of Commons he believes “we have an incredible opportunity to work together so Canada and the United States can source and supply here in North America everything we need for reliable and resilient supply chains.”

We encourage the members opposite to act with urgency and vote with us on this important piece of legislation.

Thank you for the question from the member for Brantford. The opportunities for the Ontario mining industry have never been greater than they are now, and that’s why we introduced the Critical Minerals Strategy in the spring of this year. It’s the perfect marriage of the opportunity of minerals in northern Ontario with the manufacturing might in southern Ontario.

In the words of OMA president Chris Hodgson: “As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, faces increasing geopolitical uncertainty and as the race to halt climate change accelerates, Ontario is primed to continue contributing meaningful solutions, while capitalizing on rising global demand for green and critical minerals.”

I couldn’t agree more. Ontario will produce the critical minerals and metals that are fundamental to modern life and key components in the clean energy transition. Just last month, we celebrated the grand opening of the Vale Copper Cliff South expansion that was followed by the Creighton mine. That would be $1.8 billion that will secure a local supply of the critical minerals we need for the EVs.

Thank you for the question from the member for Brantford–Brant.

Immediately after I was appointed Minister of Mines I joined our great Minister of Energy at the Canadian Energy and Mine Ministers’ Conference in St. John’s. At the conference, I was excited that Minister Wilkinson shared my sense of urgency for developing critical minerals that we know are necessary for a low-carbon economy. We can’t go green without mining and we know the critical minerals in the Ring of Fire represent a nationally, if not globally, significant opportunity.

Our government committed almost $1 billion for infrastructure and community supports, but we need the federal government to come to the table with the funding. Based on my early discussions with the federal government and Minister Wilkinson, I believe they are a willing partner and will come to the table as a full partner.

Our government ended the regional framework in favour of bilateral agreements with First Nations to understand their unique priorities and perspectives. Our government signed historic agreements with Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations, who are proponents for their community projects on the Northern Road Link.

Speaker, the results have been fantastic. First Nations-led environmental assessments are now under way for two road projects in the Ring of Fire. By working in partnership with First Nations, we are building momentum on this project and charting a plan forward to economic reconciliation.