The federal, provincial and territorial ministers of mines and energy on Friday concluded a three-day meeting in Quebec City with big ambitions, but the means to turn them into reality must be found.

The Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, who co-chaired the meeting, certainly spoke of days full of discussions, ideas and solutions to better deal with climate change and to define the role that the sector must play. Mining and Energy for a Faster Energy Transition”.

His federal counterpart, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, made no secret that the ultimate goal is to develop resources and make decisions that benefit both the economy and the environment.

This desire for development was evident in the words of Quebec Secretary of Commerce Christopher Skeete. “How do we see the existing legislation and facilitate the projects?” he asked.

He reiterated that it’s not about reducing the standards and criteria around projects, picking up on a discourse we hear again and again about the need to “reduce administration and paperwork so that projects get done later.” can be.” , often more expensive”.

How do you gain social acceptance?

However, Ms. Blanchette Vézina acknowledges that the consultations conducted by Quebec on the fringes of Quebec’s Critical and Strategic Minerals Valorization Plan have clearly shown that “people want a greener mining system that meets the highest standards.” Both in terms of the environment as well as on ESG criteria (environmental, social and governance).

Therefore, another term keeps popping up in politicians’ discourse: that of social acceptance. “How do we manage to carry out processes that are important and big, but which have to be accepted by the people on the ground?” Minister Skeete wondered.

There is no simple answer to this question. The mining projects that are proliferating in Quebec are often located in natural settings where they face problems related to tourism, resorts and biodiversity protection.

A diplomatic speech

One can easily imagine that the discussions behind closed doors have not always resulted in a wonderful unanimity between the ministers of different provinces, a conglomeration of New Democrats, Liberals, CAQists, but above all Conservatives. Jonathan Wilkinson made a comment at the end of the meeting that couldn’t be more diplomatic: “There is no disagreement between governments on the targets. It is true that we have yet to discuss the cadence with certain jurisdictions, but all ministers agree on the direction to take.

That didn’t stop him, however, from taking the opportunity to do a bit of politics by denouncing those who deny the reality of climate change – a thinly veiled critique of Pierre Poilievre’s conservatives.

The Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference is an annual event that brings together all ministers from the federal, state and territorial governments.

Pierre Saint-Arnaud, The Canadian Press