Canada's Minerals and Metals
Key Facts

Canada’s Minerals and Metals: A Global Presence

• Canadian firms have interests in more than 6400 properties at all stages of the mineral exploration process in over 100 countries around the world.
• These Canadian projects include over 200 mines, smelters, refineries, plants under construction, and other advanced mineral development projects in roughly 60 countries around the world.
• Canada ranks among the world’s top five producers of 14 mineral commodities.
• In 2003, the proportion of the world's total exploration planned for Canada was roughly 22%.
• Canadian-based companies conduct about 40 percent of all mineral exploration undertaken in the world.
• Although Canadian companies operate all over the world, Canada remains the country where they allocate the largest proportion, by far, of their global mineral exploration programs.
• Canada’s minerals and metals industry has involved approximately $50 billion abroad. This represents about 12 percent of all Canadian direct investment abroad.

Canada’s Minerals and Metals: Contributing to Our Communities

• Over 150 communities in Canada depend on mining. Most of these are in rural and northern regions where several hundred Aboriginal communities are in close proximity to operating mines and smelters.
• Approximately 1200 Aboriginal communities are located within 200 kilometres of minerals and metals activities.
  

Canada’s Minerals and Metals: A Key Feature of Our Economic Landscape

• Canada is one of the largest mining nations in the world, producing more than 70 minerals and metals.
• Canada is a leading producer and exporter of minerals and mineral-based products. Exports of minerals and mineral-based products are close to $50 billion a year, averaging 13 percent of Canada’s total domestic exports. (These figures include all minerals and mineral products, excluding oil and gas.)
• In 2003, Canada’s minerals and metals industry employed about 389 000 men and women: approximately 47 000 were employed in mining, 87 000 in primary metal manufacturing, and 255 000 in nonmetal and fabricated metal manufacturing.
• Canada’s minerals and metals industry provides some of the highest weekly earnings in the economy, averaging over $1000 in both the mining industry and in nonferrous smelting and refining. In comparison, weekly earnings in the Canadian economy average about $700.
• Canada’s minerals and metals industry ranks among the top ten in GDP per worker.
• At the start of 2004 there were about 200 principal metal, nonmetal and coal mines, over 3000 stone quarries and sand and gravel pits, and about 50 nonferrous smelters, refineries and steel mills.
• Minerals and fabricated mineral products account for almost 60 percent of total revenue freight for the domestic railway system.
• There are more than 1000 mining companies listed on Canadian stock exchanges, more than in any other country.
• In 2003, Canadian mining companies raised close to $6 billion in equity financing, more than 45 percent of the world total.

Canada’s Minerals and Metals: Smart Resource Development

• Productivity growth in Canada’s minerals and metals industry has typically exceeded that of the total economy as innovation and improvements in human capital have allowed the industry to remain globally competitive.
• Technological advances have enabled the mining and processing of previously uneconomic deposits by lowering production costs.
• Research and development expenditures generated by Canada’s minerals and metals industry total over $300 million per year.

Canada’s Minerals and Metals: Springboard of High-Tech Suppliers

• Canadian-based companies have captured a significant share of the world market for airborne geophysical equipment and geophysical equipment manufacturers and related software developers, and Canadian data companies have a strong international presence.
• Canadian companies are part of a global mining business-to-business consortium using the Internet to contract for supply and services to their operations worldwide.

Last Updated: 2005-07-26

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