DARTMOUTH, NS, Jan. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, met with key leaders in the energy, mining and forest sectors, and Indigenous and environmental groups, while in Atlantic Canada. This visit supports the Government of Canada's priority of strengthening relationships to increase opportunities for Canada's natural resource sectors.

While in Saint John, Minister Carr met with the Honourable Donald Arsenault, New Brunswick's Minister of Energy and Mines, and the Honourable Denis Landry, New Brunswick's Minister of Natural Resources. They discussed the Government of Canada's renewed commitment to natural resource industries as a source of jobs, prosperity and opportunity in a world that values sustainable practices and lower-carbon processes.

Minister Carr also toured the Irving Oil Refinery, Canada's largest oil refinery, and met with business leaders at a reception hosted by the Saint John Chamber of Commerce. The Minister consulted with stakeholders on forest and environmental issues, to advance discussions on how to support innovation and sustainable economic growth.

While in Dartmouth and Halifax, Minister Carr met with the Honourable Michel Samson, Nova Scotia's Minister of Energy, and the Honourable Lloyd Hines, Nova Scotia's Minister of Natural Resources. The Minister also hosted a roundtable discussion with industry, environmental and Indigenous leaders on a variety of topics and issues related to the Government of Canada's natural resource commitments and the Minister's mandate letter from the Prime Minister. He also learned about scientific research undertaken by Natural Resources Canada and other federal departments during a tour of the Geological Survey of Canada facility at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

Quick Facts

• In 2014, the natural resource sectors provided 12 percent of New Brunswick's nominal GDP and seven percent of Nova Scotia's nominal GDP.
• In 2014, about 30,000 people were employed by the natural resource sectors in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia combined.
• NRCan's Atlantic Branch of the Geological Survey of Canada, located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, carries out coastal and offshore geoscientific surveys and provides expert geological, geochemical and geophysical information on the coastal zone, seabed, offshore sedimentary basins and geological processes.

Quotes

"While in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, I met with representatives from the energy, mining and forestry sectors, environmental organizations, Indigenous leaders and provincial governments. Cooperation and partnerships across these communities will give us the consensus the country needs to get the natural resources to market sustainably."

Jim Carr
Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada