Tony Clement is defending comments he made saying Sudbury would have become a “Valley of Death” if Inco hadn't been sold to Vale Inco in 2006.
In an interview with a Calgary news source, the Industry Minister stood by the controversial statement that has garnered national media attention by saying, “I think it's an accurate comment and I'm not sure what all the hubbub is about quite frankly.”
Clement made his defence despite an outcry of criticism from Sudbury area MPs and the city's mayor, John Rodriguez over the “Valley of Death” remarks. The politicians cited evidence there was interest in purchasing Inco by several international mining giants other than Vale, such as Phelps-Dodge and Xstrata plc.
Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle, the NDP's mining critic, went as far as to call for Clement's resignation, and criticized him for having a double standard for standing up for Stelco worker's rights in Hamilton, but ignoring Vale's employees in Northern Ontario during a labour dispute.
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