Canada losing ground when it comes to new mining projects – report

The report points out that the country’s share of global production for critical minerals and metals has also gone down, with other jurisdictions capturing greater market share for growing demand.

“Critical to bolstering the industry’s domestic and international leadership is a predictable and consistent domestic policy and regulatory environment, with proactive and bold policy to position the country for longer-term success, particularly in the face of the pandemic,” Pierre Gratton, MAC’s president and CEO, said in a media statement. “There are tremendous opportunities to do that in the areas of critical and battery minerals – arguably the foundation for any resurgence in Canadian advanced manufacturing and essential elements in the move towards a lower-carbon future.”

Gratton said that public enthusiasm for enhanced critical minerals development in Canada is high, as a survey commissioned by MAC and carried out by Abacus Data revealed.

The study showed that 90% of the people polled liked the idea of Canada being a preferred source for critical minerals and are looking forward to seeing the government taking a number of steps to support this approach.

“It is clear that these essential elements required as inputs in the goods – including clean and healthcare technologies – we create and on which Canadians and our economy depend, represent an important opportunity for the country’s mining sector and the economy as a whole,” the press brief states.

Also on the positive side of things, the Mining Association of Canada’s report shows that the industry continues to be a strong employment generator, accounting for one in every 26 jobs in Canada or approximately 719,000 positions, with 16,500 of those occupied by Indigenous peoples.