Please see below a statement from Keerit Jutla, President and CEO of AME:
Early this afternoon, AME was made aware that the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship will not be proceeding with the proposed amendments to the Land Act. Since the beginning, AME has expressed concerns about the way the B.C. government was undertaking reforms, which are intended to bring the Land Act into conformity with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Our engagement with Minister Cullen was done to ensure that any changes made to the Land Act must be done in a way that bring stability and predictability to the mineral exploration industry.
AME supports the government’s commitment to the implementation of DRIPA. We know that our members also support this goal, but the way the changes were introduced fostered an environment of distrust and uncertainty. This is not an environment that is conducive to building partnerships and economic reconciliation.
We thank the Minister for listening and engaging with AME and its members. We look forward to further discussions with Minister Cullen and the B.C. government to ensure that B.C. remains a competitive, predictable and stable environment for mineral exploration. Through leadership, advocacy and partnerships, AME will protect and promote the interests of mineral explorers and developers operating, or based, in B.C.