Federal Budget 2020

PDAC provided recommendations for Federal Budget 2020 that will enhance Canada’s mineral industry competitiveness. As an industry that employs over 634,000 Canadians in rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities and contributes 5% to Canada's GDP, government action is critical to help the mineral sector continue to be a key driver of Canada’s economy.

Find the PDAC budget 2020 recommendations here

PDAC recommendations

Support the Mineral Sector's Essential Role in Enabling a Low Carbon Future

Given that the mineral industry supplies minerals and metals that will enable a low carbon future, government should:

  • Create a mineral sector-specific funding program or tax incentive to encourage increased exploration specifically for minerals and metals that will enable the development of clean technologies.
  • Provide funding targeted specifically towards innovation for exploration in areas such as: low emission and renewable energy technologies that reduce GHG emissions, increasing the reuse of water, and waste reduction.
  • Provide a dedicated funding stream to expedite the development of critical energy infrastructure such as small-scale nuclear reactors in northern and remote regions.

Enhancing Mineral Industry Competitiveness in Canada's North

Support the mineral industry’s competitiveness in northern and remote regions by:

  • Addressing the infrastructure deficit through strategic, large-scale investments in critical transportation and energy infrastructure
  • Ensuring that any new carbon price regime is revenue neutral, protects emissions intensive and trade-exposed (EITE) sectors, and addresses the unique challenges faced by remote and northern regions – including a fiscal support mechanism for mineral exploration projects that presently have no alternative to fossil fuels.

Investments in Indigenous Communities to Support Participation in the Mineral Industry

Support efforts to enhance the participation of Indigenous peoples in the mineral sector through:

  • Foundational investments that contribute to improved socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous communities.
  • Targeted funds towards capacity building for skills and job training, entrepreneurship, economic development, and consultation capacity.

Accessing Prospective Lands – Balancing Conservation and Economic Development Goals

Create a federal funding mechanism to help provincial and territorial governments undertake comprehensive mineral resource assessments, based on geoscientific studies, in order to understand and incorporate the value of mineral potential into land management decisions.

Investments in Geoscience and Innovation for the Mineral Sector

Support geoscience mapping and innovation by:

  • Continuing to invest in the collection and dissemination of public geoscience data that drives mineral exploration, particularly in the north, and renewing the Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) and the Targeted Geoscience Initiative (TGI) programs.
  • Providing funding mechanisms and incentives to encourage the development, testing and adoption of innovative technologies and processes specifically for mineral exploration.