Facts & Figures 2026 - The State of Canada's Mining Industry

Canada's Mining Industry Remains a Strategic Economic Driver, but Competitiveness Pressures Require Urgent Action

OTTAWA, ON, May 13, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) released Facts & Figures – The State of Canada's Mining Industry, a report that provides an overview of current trends in Canada's mining sector based on the latest statistics and analysis.

The report highlights the critical role mining continues to play in Canada's economy and global supply chains, while underscoring the growing urgency to improve Canada's competitiveness and accelerate project development.

Canada's mining sector contributed $111 billion to Canada's gross domestic product in 2024, accounting for 3.6% of the economy. The sector encompasses extraction, mining services, primary metal and mineral manufacturing, and downstream metal and mineral manufacturing. When mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction are included, the sector's contribution rises to more than 5% of Canada's GDP, representing a stable and significant share of the economy over the past decade, with Alberta's mined oil sands playing a major role.

The sector directly employed 438,000 people and supported an additional 272,000 indirect jobs across the country, representing one in every 31 Canadian jobs. The minerals industry also remained one of the country's largest private sector employers of Indigenous peoples, providing employment for more than 22,600 individuals in 2024.

The report notes that while Canada remains a leading global producer of responsibly mined, low-carbon minerals and metals, the sector has experienced limited real growth over nearly two decades, despite rising global demand and strong commodity prices. Production of several key commodities, including copper, nickel and iron ore, has declined over the past decade, raising concerns about Canada's long-term competitiveness and ability to supply allies with the minerals and metals needed for defence, energy and advanced manufacturing. On the positive side, gold production has risen to move Canada into fourth position globally, while production of other key commodities such as potash, graphite and lithium are expected to grow.

"Canada has the minerals and metals the world needs, strong environmental and labour standards, and significant untapped potential," said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada. "The challenge now is execution. Canada must improve the efficiency and predictability of project approvals, strengthen trade-enabling infrastructure, and attract investment if we are to compete globally and meet growing demand from allies for responsibly produced minerals and metals."

Canada produces 60 minerals and metals and ranks among the world's leading producers of potash, uranium, niobium, cadmium and palladium. In 2024, Canada's mining exports totaled $152 billion, representing 21% of the value of all Canadian merchandise exports. Gold exports continued to grow significantly, averaging $4.3 billion per month during the first ten months of 2025 amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and strong global demand.

The report highlights the importance of recent federal measures intended to strengthen Canada's mining sector, including expanded eligibility for exploration and clean technology tax credits, as well as new infrastructure and strategic investment initiatives announced in Budget 2025. Together, these measures are intended to support the extraction, processing, and supply of minerals and metals critical to defence, semiconductors, clean technologies, and allied supply chains, including through partnerships such as the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance.

MAC notes that the key to the success of these measures will be the speed and effectiveness of their implementation. Future measures, such as including feasibility and other development-stage studies in the Canadian Exploration Expense and making development costs for brownfield mine expansions fully eligible for tax credits, would further strengthen Canada's competitiveness and help accelerate project development.

The report also calls for additional measures to strengthen Canada's investment climate and support project development, including:

• improving federal and provincial coordination in mine permitting and approvals;
• investing in trade-enabling and northern infrastructure;
• strengthening geoscience and mineral resource assessments; and
• improving investment conditions to support project development and competitiveness across the mining sector.

Mining projects in Canada continue to navigate multiple layers of provincial and federal approvals before construction can begin. While governments have initiated reforms to improve regulatory processes, further action is needed to reduce duplication, improve coordination, and provide greater certainty and predictability for project proponents while maintaining strong environmental standards and respecting Indigenous rights.

Facts & Figures 2026 underscores both the scale of mining's contribution to Canada's economy and the importance of policies that support investment, competitiveness, and responsible resource development across the country.

For more information on MAC's Facts & Figures – The State of Canada's Mining Industry, and its associated policy recommendations, visit: https://mining.ca/resources/reports/facts-figures-2026-the-state-of-canadas-mining-industry/   

About MAC

The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members account for most of Canada's production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal and mined oil sands, and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Please visit www.mining.ca.   

SOURCE The Mining Association of Canada

For more information, please contact: Photinie Koutsavlis, Vice President, Economic Affairs and Climate Change, [email protected]