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The federal government has appointed a former BC minister to a new position designed to advance reconciliation over Giant Mine’s toxic legacy.
Murray Rankin, who was BC’s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation from 2020 until 2024, will now become a ministerial special representative responsible for Giant Mine.
From 2012 to 2019, Rankin was the NDP MP for Victoria.
He is now tasked with “assessing the impacts of the legacy of the Giant Mine on historical Treaty rights and exploring potential pathways to resolution,” Ottawa said in a Thursday news release.
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Rankin will work independently of the federal agencies running the $4-billion remediation of Giant Mine, a former gold mine on Yellowknife’s doorstep that is now one of Canada’s most toxic sites.
His appointment appears in part designed to address concerns expressed by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation about the lasting damage wrought on local people by Giant, the need for a formal apology, and the matter of compensation.
He will report to the federal Crown-Indigenous relations minister, presently Gary Anandasangaree.
A report next year is set to provide “recommendations and insights to support a resolution and advance the path toward reconciliation and healing,” the federal government said.
“Throughout my career, I have worked alongside Indigenous communities to uphold rights, advance reconciliation and seek meaningful solutions to complex challenges,” Rankin said in a statement.
“I look forward to engaging with partners to better understand the mine’s impacts on Treaty rights and to work together to identify a just and equitable path forward.”
