The Mosaic Company plans on growing its Indigenous representation in the workforce through its 2030 reconciliation action plan. “Mosaic has been working in this space since 2018. I think at that time we looked at what we were doing, which we didn’t think was enough frankly, and we said we’re going to do more,” said Marnel Jones, director of government and public affairs. Derek Lajambe, who works at the K2 potash mine in Esterhazy, has been with the company for six years. Throughout his tenure, Lajambe said he has become proud of his cultural identity. “I’m very proud to represent not only Indigenous people, but I’m also personally discovering my own Indigenous heritage as well,” he shared. “One of the things I’ve spoke about in the past [is] I was not proud to be Indigenous. That’s also my own personal [journey]. Working for Mosaic has allowed me and actually encouraged me to work towards that.” He currently works as a maintenance supervisor. Before joining the industry, Lajambe pursued an education in engineering. At the time, he said programs directed for Indigenous people were rare. “One of the struggles that I have come across for Indigenous people is sometimes the lack of education,” he said. “Maybe they don’t have the resources or maybe they don’t even know about these things. With these entry level programs, it really opens up opportunities for young people or people of any age or backgrounds to have an attempt to get into mining at Mosaic.” 2030 reconciliation action plan Part of Mosaic’s action plan for the next five years is to expand its entry level jobs to Indigenous people while also focusing on hiring and procurement. “For Mosaic, we looked at reconciliation through the lens of where can we make the biggest impact. For us, with our operations in Saskatchewan where we’re mining potash, jobs is a big one, our partnerships, as well as our own workforce culture internally,” said Jones. She added that working underground in the mine is not the only job in the industry, as there are opportunities above ground as well. “Of course we need a lot of great people to work underground or in our mills and mines, but we also have a great jobs in procurement, in health and safety, in HR and things like what I do, public affairs and government relations,” she explained. “There’s a lot of careers in mining and certainly if you’re interested in any of those types of fields, there’s definitely one for you.” Leading up to 2030, Mosaic will review its progress every year to ensure the company is meeting its action plan goals, Jones added. For people who are interested in getting their foot in the industry, the company encourages people to reach out on their website. Lajambe said educating people on the different opportunities is the first step towards them pursuing a career in mining. “One of the fastest growing populations is Indigenous youth. The way I look at it is Indigenous youth or youth in general are the leaders,” said Lajambe, encouraging people to give it a try. “The next generation are the ones inheriting from us. In this case, Indigenous youth, I feel that they are poised to take the place that their ancestors, that their relatives before them couldn’t have for various reasons.”
