Canada needs mining
Minerals and metals contribute to Canadians’ lives every day. They are the building blocks of our modern society and provide key ingredients for buildings, vehicles, transportation networks and food production. They are in countless consumer products that we rely upon—from toothpaste to bicycles to electronics. Clean technologies that are vital to a cleaner, more sustainable world, as well as computers, smartphones and medical instruments, all require minerals and metals.
Canada is a large landmass with a rich mineral endowment. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians from across the country have used their knowledge, skills and entrepreneurship to build an industry that is among the world’s largest producers of minerals and metals. In 2016, some 200 mines and 7,000 quarries produced more than 60 minerals and metals worth $41 billion.1
Canada ranks in the top five producing countries for 13 major minerals and metals. We are:
• First in potash;
• Second in uranium and niobium;
• Third in nickel, cobalt, aluminum and platinum
group metals; and
• Fifth in gold and diamonds.
Mining is a general term that encompasses a range of activities, including mineral exploration, mineral development, mine production, mineral processing, mine site reclamation and much more (see sidebar on page 6). These activities contribute socio-economic benefits—be they exploration and mining in northern, remote or isolated communities, or legal and financial transactions taking place in urban centres such as Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
A pan-Canadian Industry
If you took a mining tour of Canada, you could start in the Yukon to experience the latest gold rush, and then travel to the Northwest Territories where diamonds shine (it is the world’s third largest producer of diamonds by value). In Nunavut, gold and iron ore mining provide a glimpse of the mineral potential of the territory. Heading to Newfoundland and Labrador, you would find significant iron ore and nickel. New Brunswick would highlight its smelting capacity, Prince Edward Island its quarrying operations, and Nova Scotia would reveal zinc and a resurgent gold mining industry.
In Quebec you would see the most diversified mining industry in Canada, which includes products such as iron ore, zinc, gold and diamonds. Ontario—the largest minerals and metals producer in Canada—counts gold, copper and nickel as its main products, while Manitoba is the top Canadian producer of zinc. In Saskatchewan, you would enter a world-leading potash and uranium mining area, while Alberta produces metallurgical coal (an irreplaceable
ingredient for steel making). The same “Met coal” is the top product of British Columbia, and the province is Canada’s largest producer of copper.
For the complete report: https://www.minescanada.ca/sites/default/files/cmmp_discussion-paper_march-7-2018-final-eng.pdf