The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has released a new report; The Mining Story – Canadian Mining Industry Facts and Figures, spotlighting the latest statistics and making recommendations for sustainable growth.
Canada produces more than 60 minerals and metals through its mining activities. The total value of Canadian mineral production in 2023 was C$71.9 billion, up from C$58.6 billion in 2021, according to the report.
In 2023, the sector contributed C$117 billion, or 4% of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). The mining sector encompasses extraction, mining services, primary metal and mineral manufacturing, and downstream metal and mineral manufacturing.
Extraction contributed C$54.8 billion to GDP; Mining services contributed C$8.6 billion to GDP; Primary metal/mineral manufacturing contributed C$21 billion to GDP while downstream metal/mineral manufacturing contributed C$32.4 billion to GDP.
When mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction are included, the sector’s contribution rises to 5.1% of GDP, a stable and significant share of Canada’s economy over the past decade, with Alberta’s mined oil sands playing a major role, the report found.
There were 430,000 people employed in high-quality jobs within the sector, with an additional 281,000 in indirect employment—representing one in every 28 employees in the Canadian labour force.
The minerals industry is also an important employer of Indigenous peoples, providing jobs for more than 12,000 individuals in 2023.
The report emphasized the mining sector will require more than a hundred thousand new workers over the next decade.
The industry can build on its success in recruiting Indigenous employees, but will need to increase recruitment of women, young workers and visible minorities to reflect the demographics of the Canadian workforce, MAC asserts, adding that increasing the number of university and college graduates in mining-related fields will also help to create a strong pool of mining workers for the next generation.
The full report is here.