ADVOCACY IN ACTION The engineering community provides recommendations on Ontario's first-ever Critical Minerals Strategy T * hrough April and May 2021, OSPE members came together, through OSPE's Critical Minerals Working Group to provide recommendations on this file, which included calls to: Increase Ontario's technical innovation capacity so it becomes a global leader in critical minerals * Develop a supply chain that is diverse and inclusive by establishing social procurement programs that ensure companies led by women and equity-seeking groups are provided with access to public procurement opportunities * Support consultation and partnership opportunities with Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous businesses through the design, construction, operation and manufacturing stages * Ensure the critical minerals development and exploration in Ontario is a sustainable practice and * Encourage product designs that facilitate recycling and reclamation * Adopt Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) for the procurement of engineering services * Appropriately define and provide criteria for what " responsibly produced " means * Develop programs that focus on the alternative use of " waste streams " and " post-closure " assets to support environmental stewardship and sustainability Pierre Labrecque, P.Eng., was one of the OSPE members involved in the Critical Minerals Working Group. Labrecque, " hopes that the mining industry will continue to grow in Ontario and that many new mines will be able to go into production in the next decade solidifying Ontario as world leader in minerals extraction and production. " vertically integrated along the supply chain December 2021 THE VOICE 13