Statistics Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Mining is booming

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.

Canada’s mineral resources are contributing to our booming economy. A 67% increase in mining profits in 2005, representing $2.7 billion, stemmed from increasing global demand for mining products.

This has been a surprising reversal for Canada’s mineral resources. Since 1990, investment in mining had been weak and jobs had fallen 53%. But in 2005, employment in mining industries jumped 16% and investment surged 20%.

From 2004 to 2005, the value of metallic minerals production increased 7.7%, led by nickel, copper, gold, iron ore, uranium and zinc. The value of non-metallic minerals production rose 3.6%—led by potash, with a 31.3% increase.

Canada is the world leader in uranium production: it is a $500-million industry. Canada accounts for about one-third of the global yield. Besides supplying about 15% of our electricity, uranium is exported to several countries for use in nuclear power plants.

With 33% of global production, Canada is also the world leader in potash mining. Canada has the largest known potash deposit—estimated at 56 billion tonnes. Potash mining occurs primarily in Saskatchewan, but also in New Brunswick.

The word ‘spectacular’ describes Canada’s rise in diamond mining. Prior to 1998, diamond mining in Canada was virtually non-existent. In 2004, Canada ranked third globally in value of diamond production.

With mining comes an impact on the environment. In 2005, mining added 15,600 kilotonnes of GHGs to the environment. The industry spent $194 million on pollution prevention programs and pollution control and abatement in 2002.