Québec is a stable, reliable jurisdiction in which mineral development strategies break new ground in a quickly evolving global context.
Québec has the most diversified mineral substances of all Canadian provinces. Seventeen different minerals are mined, or projected to be mined: gold, iron, zinc, copper, titanium, niobium, lithium, feldspar, graphite, mica, salt, nickel, platinum group elements, rare earths, and phosphate are among the top of the list. Silver, cobalt, tantalum, magnesium, and other minor metals are also extracted from certain producers. The variety of minerals is in part due to Québec’s vast area, 1.7 million square kilometres, as well as a diversity of geological environments.
Québec has over 20 producing mines, 49 mining projects, and well over 300,000 active mineral titles. Investments in the mining sector in Québec were $5.7 billion, and the value of all mineral shipments was $12.8 billion in 2023. In 2024, Québec amended its Mining Act.
In 2020, Québec became the first jurisdiction in Canada to publish a forward-looking critical and strategic mineral plan with four main orientations simply summarized as: explore, develop, recycle, and communicate. Our vision was to become a leading jurisdiction for the development of strong ESG projects, notably thanks to its production of low-cost green renewable hydroelectricity.
Québec also structured programs to enhance the circularity of products, by increasing the recycling of consumed raw materials and increasing the traceability of raw battery materials.
Québec has modern treaties with First Nations and Inuit, such as the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement, and a suite of permits and tools that consider social acceptability with hosting communities.
To attract investors, Québec has developed a generous tax credit for mineral exploration, reducing the cost of capital for the entire cycle from exploration to development.
The results of our plan are significant: the number of critical and strategic mining projects has increased by 61 per cent between 2019 and 2024; mining investments have also increased for critical and strategic materials by 91 per cent, from about $3 billion in 2019 to $5.8 billion in 2024, according to our preliminary data.
Exploration expenditures also increased dramatically for critical and strategic materials, going from $142 million in 2019 to $477 million in 2024, thus increasing by 235 per cent, according to our preliminary data.
The success of the critical and strategic mineral plan was also made possible because of the visionary and coherent government policies, such as a complete integration with Québec’s battery strategy, the 2030 plan for a Green Economy, the Northern Action Plan, and Québec’s Green Hydrogen and Bioenergy Strategy.
Through innovative and collaborative initiatives, Québec has become one of the first commercial producers of lithium in eastern North America, the first scandium producer in North America, the only niobium producer in North America, and the top graphite producer in North America. Innovations to develop gallium from waste byproducts in Québec’s aluminum industry are also underway.
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