Association Minière du Québec

One project, one assessment, one decision: a long-awaited step forward for the mining industry

Québec City, July 20, 2026 – The Quebec Mining Association (QMA) was present today for the unveiling of an agreement in principle between the Government of Québec and the Government of Canada aimed at better harmonizing environmental assessment processes. The announcement was made by the Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Ms. Pascale Déry, as well as by the federal Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, Mr. Joël Lightbound.

For the QMA, this agreement represents a significant step toward a more efficient, more predictable assessment processes that is better adapted to the realities of proponents, communities and governments.

“For several years, the mining industry has been advocating for a single environmental assessment process. More recently, as part of our interventions before parliamentary committees on various bills aimed at regulatory and administrative streamlining, we reiterated that mining projects are subject to both provincial and federal environmental assessment processes. This situation leads to duplicated steps, repeated consultations and, in some cases, diverging requirements that extend timelines, increase costs and unnecessarily mobilize stakeholders. This agreement therefore represents an important step toward the concrete implementation of the principle of ‘one project, one assessment,’ helping to simplify procedures, optimize resources and foster the effective participation of all groups concerned,” said Emmanuelle Toussaint, President and CEO of the QMA.

The QMA also believes that better harmonization between the two levels of government will help increase predictability, focus efforts on analyzing the actual impacts of projects rather than on duplicating procedures, and strengthen Québec’s attractiveness for mining investment. In fact, the Fraser Institute had already noted, in its report published in 2025 on the attractiveness of mining jurisdictions for investment, that regulatory and administrative duplication, as well as a stable and predictable legal framework, were among the factors that contributed to Québec’s decline in the ranking.

“Investors are looking for clear rules, predictable processes and known timelines. This agreement sends a positive signal to the industry and to markets regarding the ability of Québec and Canada to work together effectively. Québec is now joining the movement already underway elsewhere in the country, as seven provinces have established collaboration with the federal government aimed at reducing duplication in environmental assessment,” concluded Ms. Toussaint.

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Information
Mélanie Charbonneau
Director, Marketing and Outreach
514 293-0589
mcharbonneau@amq-inc.com

Media Coverage

Following this announcement, the QMA gave several media interviews to discuss the implications of this agreement for the mining sector. Read the articles below:

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