The federal government has appointed Murray Rankin as the new ministerial special representative for Giant Mine.
Rankin's new role was announced by Gary Anandasangaree, Minister responsible for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC) and CanNor, on Thursday.
Rankin, a lawyer with degrees from the University of Toronto and Harvard Law School, has extensive experience in Indigenous, environmental, and public law. He is also the former NDP MP for Victoria, B.C, and a former minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation with that province's government.
As Giant MineSA国际影视传媒檚 new ministerial special representative, he will be responsible for SA国际影视传媒渁ssessing the impacts of the legacy of the Giant Mine on historical Treaty rights and exploring potential pathways to resolution," according to a news release announcing his new role.
He will do so independently of CIRNAC and CanNor, and report directly to Anandasangaree.
"I am deeply honoured to take on this role as Ministerial Special Representative to assess the lasting impacts of the Giant Mine," Rankin said. "Throughout my career, I have worked alongside Indigenous communities to uphold rights, advance reconciliation, and seek meaningful solutions to complex challenges. 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."
Giant Mine, situated just north of Yellowknife's downtown, operated from 1948 and 2004. Today, it is one of the country's most contaminated sites, with 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide SA国际影视传媒� a compound that can cause a litany of serious health issues SA国际影视传媒� trapped in underground chambers.
In 2021, the federal government began working toward the remediation of the mine site, with the primary aim of protecting the health of people in the area and the environment. In the same year, the government signed a trio of agreements intended to reach a resolution with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN), who have expressed concerns over the lasting impacts of the mine, and called for an apology and compensation in response to those impacts.
"The appointment of a Ministerial Special Representative is another important step forward in addressing the legacy of Giant Mine," Anandasangaree said of Rankin's appointment. "I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Rankin during his time as British Columbia's Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, where we advanced generational change in partnership with Indigenous communities. I welcome his leadership in this critical work and thank him for his commitment to advancing reconciliation."
