A planned $14 billion investment from Agnico Eagle Mines Limited is set to position Ontario as Canada’s leading resource hub—but Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce says even bigger ambitions are on the horizon.

“[The goal is] not to be #1 in Canada. We want to be #1 on Earth when it comes to attracting mining investment,” Lecce said. “This is how we build our country. This is how we become more self-reliant and less dependent on the craziness going on in the White House.”

Lecce credits aggressive permit reforms and accelerated approval processes for attracting this investment.

“It took an average of 15 years to build a mine in this province, whereas in Europe or even Australia, it’s taking them five to six years. We were the second slowest in the entire OECD,” he said.

OECD stands for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a 100-nation forum and knowledge hub for data, analysis and best practices in public policy.

“When we’re the second slowest on Earth, that’s not a benchmark to be proud of,” Lecce said. “We need to challenge the status quo. We have to move faster.”

Lecce said streamlining mining development doesn’t mean cutting out important environmental and labour protections, but rather imposing deadlines on the government to make decisions faster.

“We have examples of assessments sitting on some bureaucrat’s desk for 1,500 days with no sense of urgency. Either we smarten up and work faster or we have our lunch eaten,” he said.

According to Lecce, Canada will still have “the strictest protections for our people and our environment,” which he calls the most ethical democracy.

“I’m not saying we’re perfect, but Canada is the gold standard. I’m so proud of our country and our values. I’d rather our democratic values prevail over the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Beijing,” he said.

Many of the new mines under development will rely on Hydro One transmission lines for power. The company offers an equity partnership model that can provide local First Nations with ownership stakes of up to 50% in these energy projects.

“This provides an opportunity for reconciliation through sharing of benefits and meaningful participation,” said Chief Clifford Bull of the Lac Seul First Nation.

Agnico Eagle will build a new mine in the Upper Beaver Gold project on Kirkland Lake, a $1 billion investment that’s set to create 800 new jobs. It will also expand the Detour Lake underground project, the largest gold mineral reserve in the country.