-High Commissioner
Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Charles Court has said that relations between Guyana and Canada in the mining sector have benefited from the clear setting out by the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of the regulations within which they expect mining activity to take place.
Court said that Canadian mining companies respect those regulations and that they want to work within the confines set out within them.
“Canada is a country that has had its own experiences with the development of large-scale mining and the impact that it has on indigenous people. It has not always been a simple, straightforward or happy history. We have learnt from those experiences and are still going through the very extensive process of according the appropriate respect to the first nations in Canada over a whole series of issues including recognizing their rights to minerals and other assets,” Court said.
Court told Stabroek Business that for that reason when Canadian mining companies come to Guyana “they are always sensitive to these issues and are prepared and eager to work with communities and to respond to what the communities see as important to themselves.”
