By Rajitha Sivakumaran
...................................................................
S
ixteenth-century Canadian history
tells the story of Jacques Cartier,
French explorer and expert naviga-
tor, who arrived on the shores of Gaspé,
Québec, searching for fresh prospects.
Indeed, he thought he had found them in
the form of diamonds and gold, but his re-
turn to France revealed that his discoveries
were in reality quartz and pyrite. Although
the province’s mining sector was not of-
ficially established until the 20th century,
Cartier’s excursions mark the rise of an in-
dustry that would come to dominate Qué-
bec’s economy centuries later.
Launched in 1975 by a group of pros-
pectors, the Association de l’exploration
minière du Québec (the Québec Mineral
Exploration Association or QMEA) serves
as one of the principal voices of the mining
industry in the province. The association’s
main priorities are dialogues with eco-
nomic and political stakeholders, business
development and promotion of the indus-
try. The QMEA arranges platforms for net-
working and employment opportunities
through the annually-held Xplor and Explo-
APRIL 2016
H
business elite canada
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