Country Profile – Canada

The document details Canada's mining landscape, highlighting its significant reserves of potash, gold, and iron ore, and its strategic focus on critical minerals for the green and digital economies. It examines the sector's economic impact, where mining contributes 5% to GDP, and its environmental efforts to reduce GHG emissions. The report also outlines the regulatory environment, noting the shared jurisdiction between federal and provincial authorities and the importance of trade with the United States.

• Canada has implemented a comprehensive Critical Minerals Strategy (CCMS) supported by significant federal funding, including CAD 3.8 billion allocated in the 2022 budget. Further 2025 investments include a CAD 2 billion Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund, a CAD 371.8 million First and Last Mile Fund for infrastructure, and an expanded Critical Minerals Exploration Tax Credit covering 12 additional strategic metals.
• The mining industry contributes 5% to Canada's GDP, with a robust ecosystem where non-mining sectors—including indirect support (such as mine finance), downstream activities, and processing/refining—account for nearly 60% of that contribution.
• Canada's mining sector is characterized by large-scale operations, with artisanal and small-scale mining being limited nationwide, though it is more active in the Yukon for placer gold extraction.
• While southern Canada possesses modern transport and power infrastructure, northern regions face significant challenges, relying heavily on diesel or hybrid systems due to a lack of electrical grid integration and the low economic viability of renewable energy at scale.
• Canada has reduced GHG emissions from mining subsectors between 2015 and 2023, driven by federal, provincial, and territorial regulatory frameworks and decarbonization initiatives such as fleet electrification and renewable energy investment.
• Women's employment in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas industries has fluctuated, increasing from 15% in 1987 to 19% in 2020, before falling to 16% in 2023. Participation varies by group, with women making up 17% of the Indigenous, 22% of the immigrant, and 27% of the visible minority mining workforce.
• Mining regulation in Canada is primarily the responsibility of provincial and territorial legislation, though the federal government maintains jurisdiction over trade, investment, energy, and Indigenous rights, including a constitutional duty to consult Indigenous Peoples.
• Canada's mining trade is heavily dependent on the United States, and while the USMCA has protected most exports, potential U.S. national security investigations under Section 232 could trigger tariffs on critical mineral imports.

APA

Hamisi, J., Rezola, O. A., Madi, D., Bellois, G., Ramdoo, I., Gottschalk, E., & Gulley, A. (2026). Country Profile – Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/country-profile-canada.pdf

Chicago

Hamisi, Jonathan, Ottavia Austin Rezola, Dalia Madi, Grégoire Bellois, Isabelle Ramdoo, Erin Gottschalk, and Andrew Gulley. Country Profile – Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/country-profile-canada.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hamisi |first1=Jonathan |last2=Rezola |first2=Ottavia Austin |last3=Madi |first3=Dalia |last4=Bellois |first4=Grégoire |last5=Ramdoo |first5=Isabelle |last6=Gottschalk |first6=Erin |last7=Gulley |first7=Andrew |title=Country Profile – Canada |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/country-profile-canada.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hamisi2026country, author = {Hamisi, Jonathan and Rezola, Ottavia Austin and Madi, Dalia and Bellois, Grégoire and Ramdoo, Isabelle and Gottschalk, Erin and Gulley, Andrew}, title = {{Country Profile – Canada}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/country-profile-canada.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }