N.S., Ottawa announce separate initiatives to boost mining industry

N.S., Ottawa announce separate initiatives to boost mining industry

Federal government aims to grow workforce, province aims to increase development

Both the federal and provincial governments are announcing new measures to boost the mining industry in Nova Scotia.

In Western Shore, N.S., on Thursday, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu launched a new industry-led alliance aimed at growing the skilled workforce for Canada's mining industry, which is struggling to fill key jobs.

"They have a labour shortage in many areas of the country," Hajdu said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "They cannot find the kinds of professionals they need."

Meanwhile, the province also said Thursday it's launching a Nova Scotia mining roundtable to allow industry leaders to better connect with the government and help strengthen opportunities in the sector.

“It’s about putting the sector together and having fulsome conversations … and seeing what opportunities lie ahead for Nova Scotia,” Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton, whom the roundtable will report to, said at cabinet.

Although Rushton, who just returned to the natural resources portfolio last week, said Ottawa's announcement that it was forming the Mining and Minerals Workplace Alliance came as a surprise to him, he sees it as complementary to the work being done by the province.

“We’re not being left out, we're both working on this to grow the economy, to grow our sector and to ensure that these minerals can be developed in an ethical way right here in Canada.”

Premier Tim Houston said the mining roundtable will be similar to ones that already exist in health care and in other natural resource sectors.

“We’re trying to understand the resource potential here,” he said.

In 2024, Canada's mining sector contributed $112 billion to the country's GDP and directly employed about 438,000 workers.

Across the country, Hajdu said, the mining industry needs to work with trainers, institutions, unions and even secondary high schools to foster new talent.

"These are good quality, solid careers and too few Canadians know about them. Too few young Canadians are choosing mining as a career, and the mining alliance is going to change that," she said.

The new body is the first of six workforce alliances to be established, all of them devoted to addressing labour market challenges. First announced in September, Ottawa has since committed $81 million in funding over five years.

The government says other alliances will soon be created for advanced manufacturing; energy and electricity; transportation and supply chains; housing and construction; and a sector the government refers to as the "care economy."

Hajdu said these alliances are needed to help Canada also respond to supply chain disruptions, rapid technological change and the economic burden caused by U.S. tariffs.

"We have seen the shocks to our economy as a result of the tariff war with the United States," Hajdu said. "Canadians expect us to move quickly."

The minister said the mining alliance will be led by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council and supported by the Mining Association of Canada. According to Ottawa's plan, these two organizations will bring together a network of employers, labour groups, post-secondary institutions, Indigenous partners and underemployed groups to develop a workforce strategy.

Among other things, they will co-ordinate public and private investments in skills development. As well, the federal government says a key goal is to build what it calls "sustainable talent pipelines."