VANCOUVER –As Premier Christy Clark prepares to speak to the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia Wednesday, New Democrats are speaking out about the Liberals’ decade of lost opportunity in the mining sector.

“The Liberals have failed to capitalize on high commodity prices, leaving behind a decade of lost opportunity,” said New Democrat mining critic Doug Donaldson. “The Liberals have drastically cut government's capacity to support permitting and development, have abdicated their responsibility to create a framework for consultation with First Nations, and have failed to gain public trust around environmental standards.

“Years of cuts to the resource ministries have caused a massive backlog in permits. As of last fall, there was a backlog of nearly 7,000 permits, including 230 mining or notice of work permits. Despite promises from the premier, there is no evidence that the backlog has begun to improve,” said Donaldson.

In 2010, Kootenay East Liberal MLA Bill Bennett, a former minister responsible for mining, admitted, “I know the resource ministries are starving for resources. You can't get your work done in any of the resource ministries.“

Donaldson said it is the government’s role to consult with First Nations, but the B.C. Liberals have left it up to industry, which runs counter to what the courts have said. Donaldson was also critical of the Liberals’ failure to adequately address skills training in their jobs plan.

“The Liberals have shown a lack of commitment to skills training to ensure we have workers ready for jobs in the mining industry. For example, the School of Exploration and Mining at Northwest Community College has no core funding associated with it, creating instability for students and instructors from year to year,” said Donaldson, noting the budget for apprenticeship training at Northwest Community College also declined in 2011, even as demand for skills training increased dramatically in Northern B.C.

Adrian Dix and B.C.’s New Democrats support smart measures to help the rural, resource-based economy get back on its feet, including a focus on trades training and improving the framework for First Nations and community consultations.

Doug Donaldson

Stikine

Doug Donaldson was elected as MLA for Stikine on May 12, 2009.