The Yukon Party official Opposition will send a delegation to this month’s annual Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver.

“While at the conference, the delegation, consisting of Stacey Hassard, Scott Kent and Wade Istchenko, will stand up for Yukon by promoting investment in the territory’s mineral sector,” the party said today.

“During their time, they will meet with mining and exploration companies that are currently conducting or looking to conduct business in Yukon.”

Mining and exploration are an important part of our territory’s past, the party said, and will continue to play a critical role in the Yukon’s economic future.

“As members of the official Opposition, an integral part of our role is to support Yukon’s mining industry that has done so much in building the territory and making it the place it is today,” said Kent, the critic for Energy, Mines and Resources.

“By attending Roundup, we will be able to hear directly from members of the mining sector to ensure that their voices are heard.”

In the 2016 election campaign, the Yukon Party committed to a number of initiatives to support the mining sector and the thousands of Yukoners it benefits, including:

• the creation of a Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and the investment of additional funds into the Yukon Mineral Exploration Program to jumpstart mineral exploration and create more jobs for Yukoners;

• continued support to the Yukon Chamber of Mines, the Klondike Placer Miners Association, and the Yukon Mineral Advisory Board;

• the establishment of a clear permitting regime with established timelines to allow greater certainty around access to resources, water licences and permits; and

• working with the federal government to build road and power infrastructure connecting to Yukon’s mineral rich areas.

“While none of these were included in the platform of the current government, they are all initiatives the official Opposition will advocate that the government consider implementing,” the party said.

“At the end of the day, we simply want the government to consider what they will do to support economic growth, and create jobs in the mining sector,” Kent added.