Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Join Forces to Work on Improving First Nations Economies with Signing of Memorandum of Understanding at PDAC Convention

OTTAWA, March 4 – AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine and Patricia Dillon, President of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today at the PDAC annual convention in Toronto for the purposes of working together to improve the lives and local economies of First Nations.

This historic initiative comes after a very well-received keynote address to the PDAC by the National Chief last October. The AFN and the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) also signed a Letter of Intent last November to work towards a Memorandum of Understanding in the AFN Corporate Challenge. “In resource development, First Nations and the mining community are natural partners,” said National Chief Fontaine. “Developing a new partnership between the AFN and PDAC will complement and enhance the growing relationships between First Nations and Canada’s major mining companies.”

Patricia Dillon, President of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, stated: “The deliberations and discussions leading up to the signing of this MOU have been undertaken with much goodwill on both sides. This historic document formalizes a relationship that has been flourishing for some time and lays a framework for the mineral industry to work cooperatively with First Nations and aboriginal communities.”

The AFN Corporate Challenge program creates partnerships with corporate Canada to increase investments, procurement and employment opportunities for First Nations.

“The resource sector is booming in Canada and First Nations will be key players in the years and decades to come,” added the National Chief. “We want to work together towards greater certainty and sustainable mining developments that will contribute significantly to the economic, social and environmental well-being of First Nations.”

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada.

For further information: Media contact: Bryan Hendry, AFN Economic Development, Cell: (613) 293-6106, bhendry@afn.ca; Philip Bousquet, Director, Sustainability, PDAC, (647) 338-5667