MAC appeals for more investment ahead of national budget

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has urged the government to invest more in critical minerals in this year’s budget to avoid “slipping behind” its competitors in the sector, while revealing its annual report on the state of Canadian mining.

Pierre Gratton, president of the association that includes about 50 of Canada’s leading mining companies, told The Northern Miner in an interview that the sector needed “heightened investment in research and development,” especially for the development of lithium and rare earth elements in the country.

He also hoped that the liberal government would stick to its promise to double the mineral exploration tax credit for critical minerals, aside from supporting the building of infrastructure such as roads in areas like the Yukon or Nunavut, where there’s plenty of potential for exploration.

“We would like to see some enhanced public geoscience focused on critical minerals,” said Gratton. “Besides gold, we haven’t found much new in the metal space and certainly not base metals in the last 20 years… We need more exploration in Canada focused on base metals.”

The Canadian mining sector contributes $107 billion to the national GDP and is responsible for 19% of Canada’s total domestic exports. It employs 692,000 people directly and indirectly across the nation.