YELLOWKNIFE, NT, April 30,
2024 /CNW/ - Partnering with Indigenous Peoples,
communities, and businesses is critical to building inclusive,
sustainable, and resilient natural resource sectors in Canada. A robust approach to enabling
Indigenous economic participation in resource projects, especially
critical mineral projects, is a key part of advancing economic
reconciliation — and fighting climate change while building strong
and prosperous communities.
While in Yellowknife, Northwest
Territories on April 10,
Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament
for the Northwest Territories, on
behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and
Natural Resources, announced $5
million in funding to Denendeh Exploration and Mining
Company Ltd. (DEMCo) through the Indigenous Natural Resource
Partnerships (INRP) Program.
DEMCo is a 100% Dene (First Nation) owned mineral exploration
and mining company. DEMCo identified the Camsell River mineral
property in the Northwest
Territories as a promising site for iron-oxide-copper-gold
(IOCG) and potential critical minerals. To promote the development
of the former silver mine site, INRP funding will be utilized for
initial project data collection, as well as planning and engagement
efforts among Indigenous communities.
This will help to gather more information for the creation of a
technical report to attract investors and partnerships.
Additionally, the funding will help to build business capacity
within DEMCo and local Indigenous groups by contributing to the
growth of a skilled local workforce.
Budget 2022 allocated $80 million
over five years, starting in 2022-2023, to renew and expand the
INRP to all natural resource sectors and all regions of
Canada. This will help enable
Indigenous communities across Canada to secure economic opportunities from
natural resource projects and become equal partners in Canada's net-zero transition.
The Government of Canada
remains committed to advancing meaningful partnerships with
Indigenous Peoples and enabling the development of innovative
natural resource projects that will have benefits for generations
to come.
Quotes
"There will be no energy transition, no clean economy and no net
zero by 2050 without far more critical minerals — including
Canadian critical minerals. By partnering with Indigenous
communities across Canada, we are
helping to spur local economic opportunities, create good jobs and
build wealth while simultaneously increasing our supply of critical
minerals and the clean technologies and energy sources that they
enable."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources
"The NWT possesses significant amounts of many of the critical
minerals that will support green transition projects and today's
technology needs. Canada has
recognized this previously through the federal government's support
of northern regulatory processes for reviewing and permitting these
projects. Now, through this investment in DEMCo—a 100% Dene First Nation owned company—Canada reaffirms
its commitment to supporting Indigenous economic reconciliation
while setting Canada up to be a
global supplier of critical minerals."
Michael V. McLeod
Member of Parliament for the Northwest
Territories
"DEMCo was established to ensure mineral exploration and
resource development occurring on our lands provides real and
lasting benefits to the Dene and is undertaken in an
environmentally and economically sustainable way. The Camsell River
project is an opportunity to increase investment and collaboration
among Indigenous people in the NWT in the natural resource sectors
and has the potential to be a real game changer for the NWT and
Canada. Canadian Indigenous
ownership in the development of Critical Minerals advances economic
reconciliation and stimulates Canada's homegrown Indigenous resource and
infrastructure development to meet Canada's need for critical minerals and rare
earth elements and is a major step in the right direction."
Darrell Beaulieu
President, Denendeh Exploration and Mining Company Ltd.
Associated Link
Indigenous Natural Resource Partnerships
SOURCE Natural Resources Canada